Israel-Hamas War: What happened on day 48?

Qatar affirmed that the hostage deal would go into effect on Friday, with a pause to the Gaza war starting at 7 a.m. and the release of 13 out of a group of 50 captives on Friday.

It said that the list of who will be released has been handed to the Mossad and that captives who are related to each other would be freed together.

“The important thing is that we will maintain a clear line of communication” and will guarantee the release of the hostages, he said.

Qatari FM: Red Cross to be involved in Gaza hostages' release

Ansari said that the International Committee of the Red Cross representatives would be involved in the release of the captives but he did not provide details as to how they would do that or how Hamas would hand over the hostages to Israel.

Israel has received the initial list of hostages set to be released from Gaza captivity on Friday afternoon, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed on Thursday afternoon.

Israel has received the initial list of hostages set to be released from Gaza captivity on Friday afternoon, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed on Thursday afternoon.

Qatar affirmed that the hostage deal would go into effect on Friday, with a pause to the Gaza war starting at 7 a.m. and the release of 13 out of a group of 50 captives on Friday.

It said that the list of who will be released has been handed to the Mossad and that captives who are related to each other would be freed together.

This is a developing story.

The IDF's 401st Brigade fought in the 'Grad Valley,' on the outskirts of Jabaliya, and uncovered underground infrastructure and weapons under children's sleeping beds, according to an IDF press release on Thursday.

The "Grad Valley" is an area from which a wide range of anti-aircraft fire was fired at Israeli territory during the fighting, four significant tunnel shafts were located at great depth.

This is a developing story.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday. The meeting is important because Iranian proxies are all watching to see what Hezbollah will do in the next few days.

With an Israel-Hamas ceasefire expected, Hezbollah now holds many of the cards regarding further escalation. The group has also announced new casualties in Lebanon and AL-Mayadeen, a pro-Iran channel, said two of its journalists were killed this week. 

Hezbollah has threatened Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7. Hezbollah uses rockets, anti-tank missiles, mortars and drones to attack Israel. Israel retaliates after each incident. This has led to a kind of equilibrium in northern Israel.

Israel has evacuated communities along the northern border and many Lebanese have fled the fighting. Israel was warned Lebanon not to escalate further. However, Hezbollah also wants to show it is supporting Hamas. 

The High Court of Justice dismissed two petitions on Thursday against the hostage deal that was approved on Tuesday.

The first petition was submitted by We Chose Life, an organization of bereaved families and people who have been affected by terrorism, as well as Herzl and Merav Hajaj, whose daughter was murdered in a terrorist attack, and Eliyahu Livman whose son is being held hostage in Gaza.

The second petition was submitted by a group of people from Jerusalem including two who were injured in terrorist attacks and Jerusalem's Deputy Mayor Aryeh Itzhak King.

The petitions urged the High Court to block the deal which includes the release of 300 female and underage terrorists in return for at least 50 hostages.

The IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) around 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon finally admitted to having arrested the director of Shifa Hospital, which has been at the center of media narrative battles between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

First reports in the Palestinian and Hebrew media about his arrest surfaced already much earlier Thursday morning.

Questioned repeatedly earlier in the morning about why he had been arrested and why no official announcement had gone out, Israeli and IDF officials' responses alternated from surprise at the event to a promise that an announcement would go out soon.

However, even the 2:30 p.m. announcement did not make any direct charges against the Shifa chief.

As disputes over the details of the release of the hostages continue, Hamas has refused to allow Red Cross workers to visit the hostages who remain in Gaza, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday.

Currently, Israel and Hamas are negotiating the specific release schedule for the hostages, with disagreements over whether Hamas should hand them over to the Red Cross or drive them directly to the Egyptian border.

This is a developing story.