A swap of Palestinian prisoners in Israel for Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would not begin earlier than Friday, Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s National Security Council director, said in a statement overnight. The first part of the agreement, a four-day pause in fighting, is set to begin earlier. The deal, which involves the first major pause since Israel launched an air and ground assault on the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, is set to allow the exchange of at least 50 Israeli hostages, civilian women and children, for 150 Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli prisons. Israel has said it could extend the pause by a day for every additional 10 hostages released after the initial group.
