A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has come into effect after a delay of almost three hours. The three-stage truce starts the exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

Hamas is a Palestinian armed group and political movement in the Gaza Strip. On 7 October 2023 it attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. This triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

A truce in the brutal war that began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks trades 3 Israeli hostages for 100 Palestinian prisoners. No American is on the list.