Israel Says It Hits 300 Targets in Gaza As Ceasefire Deal Is Delayed

Israel says its offensive in Gaza continues after a four-day ceasefire in fighting was delayed.

The pause was expected to start today, and an Israeli government source says they believe the deal will go ahead on Friday.

Qatar, which helped broker the deal, says the start time will be announced within the next few hours.

In the first phase of the pause, Hamas will release 50 hostages from Gaza, and Israel will free 150 Palestinian detainees.

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A senior Israeli official has said hostages are being held in Gaza. In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said talks on the deal were continuing.

Israel’s foreign minister had earlier said he expected the first hostages to be released on Thursday.

According to the IDF, aerial strikes in the last day were carried out on over 300 Hamas terror targets, including military command centers, underground terror tunnels, weapon storage facilities, weapon manufacturing sites, and anti-tank missile launch posts.

At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. Another 240 men, women, children and soldiers were taken back to Gaza as hostages. Some people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.