4-day truce begins in Israel-Hamas war, sets stage for release of dozens of Gaza-held hostages
Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip) (AP): A four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war took effect early Friday, setting the stage for the exchange of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in return for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The halt in fighting promised some relief for Gaza's 2.3 million people, who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.
The cease-fire kicked off at 7 am local time (0500 GMT) and is to last at least four days. During this period, Gaza's ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages. Hamas said Israel would free 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Both sides will release women and children first. Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.
The truce-for-hostages deal was reached in weeks of intense indirect negotiations, with Qatar, the United States and Egypt serving as mediators. If it holds, it would mark the first significant break in fighting since Israel declared war on Hamas seven weeks ago.
The agreement raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.
Israel has pushed back against such speculation, saying it was determined to resume its massive offensive once the truce ends. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was quoted as telling troops Thursday that their respite will be short and that the war would resume with intensity for at least two more months.
A first group of 13 women and children held by Hamas will be freed Friday afternoon, according to Majed al-Ansari, the spokesman of the Qatari foreign ministry. Three Palestinian prisoners, also women and minors, are to be released for every freed hostage.
Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.
The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home. Netanyahu's office said it notified the families of hostages listed for release Friday.
Increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter Gaza "as soon as possible," al-Ansari said Thursday. The hope is that the "momentum" from this deal will lead to an "end to this violence," he told reporters.
Hamas said 200 trucks a day will enter Gaza carrying aid. Qatar said the aid will include fuel, but has given no details on quantities.
Israel cut off all imports at the start of the war, except for a trickle of food, water and medical supplies allowed in from Egypt. The lack of fuel has caused a territory-wide blackout, leaving homes and hospitals reliant on faltering generators.
The Israeli bombardment, now in its seventh week, has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which resumed its detailed count of casualties in Gaza from the war. The ministry had stopped publishing casualty counts since Nov. 11, saying it had lost the ability to do so because of the health system's collapse in the north.
The new numbers were not fully broken down, but women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead. The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble.
Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.
Israeli airstrikes continued in the final hours ahead of the truce.
On Thursday afternoon, a strike leveled a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. At least 12 people were killed, according to officials at nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital.
One resident, Hosni Moharib, said his wife and several children were killed and other relatives remained buried under the rubble.
"It exploded on the house, striking the babies and young children. Everyone in the house, they are all dead," he said, bursting into tears.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war after the truce expires to destroy Hamas' military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.
"We will continue it until we achieve all our goals," Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.
In Gaza's city of Khan Younis, Palestinians welcomed the respite of the upcoming cease-fire but said four days would do little to relieve the humanitarian disaster caused by the war.
"God willing, it becomes a total cease-fire," said Jihan Qanan. "People have had houses brought down on their heads, they've been expelled ... There's no homes, no money, no possessions. The whole world is wrecked."
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Meet Kerala's Dr. Santosh Kumar who has served in various warzones; latest in Gaza
Read his experiences from Gaza, in Vartha Bharati's interview
He has walked through some of the world’s most dangerous places, not as a witness, but as a doctor treating people when everything around them is falling apart. Dr. Santhosh Kumar from Kerala has spent years working in war zones and crisis-hit regions with Doctors Without Borders, often stepping in where medical systems no longer exist.
Most recently, he served in Gaza, where large-scale violence has left thousands struggling for basic medical care. Even after returning, his work there is not over. He is preparing to head back to Gaza later this month, continuing his role on the frontlines of a humanitarian crisis.
In this interview, he speaks about what he has seen, the challenges of working in conflict zones, and what it means to be a doctor when survival itself becomes uncertain.
Excerpts from the interview below:
Question: You had just come back from Ukraine after a long stretch of work. What made you say yes again, this time for Gaza, without even taking a break?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: I had just returned from Ukraine, and physically, yes, I was tired. But when the call came for Gaza, it didn’t feel like something I could say no to. Situations like these don’t wait for you to rest. When there is such a large-scale humanitarian crisis unfolding, you don’t think in terms of convenience. You think about where you are needed the most. For me, the decision was simple, if I have the skills and the experience, I have to be there.
Question: Do you remember your first night in Egypt before entering Gaza? What was going on in your mind at that moment?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: That night was very heavy. You are standing at the edge of something you already know is going to be intense, but you still don’t know what exactly you are walking into. There is always a mix of thoughts about the people inside, about what kind of medical situation you will face, and whether the system there is even functioning. At the same time, you prepare yourself mentally to adapt quickly. You try to stay calm, because once you cross over, there is no time to process emotions.
Question: When you finally reached Gaza, what was the first thing that told you this was going to be very different from any other place you’ve worked in?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: It is very important to understand what is happening there. This is not a war. This is a genocide. When you see the scale of destruction, the number of civilians affected, and the complete breakdown of basic systems, it becomes very clear that this is different. As doctors, we are trained to respond to emergencies, but here, the situation goes beyond a typical conflict setting. Understanding that reality is important before you even begin your work.
Question: You’ve spoken about that smell when you entered Gaza. It’s something people don’t usually talk about. What did that moment feel like for you?
Dr Santosh Kumar from the Gaza war front.
Dr. Santosh Kumar: The first thing that hits you is not what you see, but what you smell. It’s very difficult to explain, but it stays with you. There is this constant mix in the air the smell of medicines, of wounds, of poor sanitation, and something deeper that comes from a complete breakdown of systems. You can feel the suffocation almost immediately.
The healthcare system has collapsed. Sanitation has collapsed. People don’t even have access to basic facilities. When all of that comes together, it creates an environment where the air itself feels heavy. It is not something you experience in a typical conflict zone.
Question: When you saw people living in tents, without even basic dignity, did it hit you immediately, or did it take time to sink in?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: It hits you almost instantly, but at the same time, the full reality takes time to process. You see thousands of people living in makeshift tents, without proper water, sanitation, or healthcare. The system is completely broken.
If people are not dying from bombs or bullets, they are dying from diseases. There are very limited places for basic human needs like excretion, and the queues are so long that people are forced to wait for hours. In some cases, people are collapsing or dying while waiting..jpg)
Photograph by Dr. Santosh Kumar
This is not just about displacement. It is about the loss of dignity at every level. As a doctor, you are trained to deal with emergencies, but here, the scale and the nature of suffering are very different. It takes time for that to fully sink in, even if the shock is immediate.
Question: You’ve seen many war zones. What was it about Gaza that disturbed you the most compared to others?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: In most conflict zones, even if the situation is bad, some systems still function at some level. In Gaza, what I saw was a complete collapse. There is no proper healthcare system, no sanitation, nothing functioning the way it should. The scale is also very different. The number of people affected, and the intensity of the situation, makes it much more disturbing than many other places I have worked in.
Question: Can you describe one scene that still hasn’t left your mind?
Answer: There is no one single scene. That’s the reality. Every day, things are happening around you. People keep coming in with injuries. Families bring their relatives, sometimes in critical condition, sometimes already gone. It becomes a continuous cycle. There is no one moment you can isolate, because the entire environment is like that all the time.
Question: When you saw children coming in injured… or sometimes not even making it… how do you process that as a doctor and as a human being?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: As a doctor, you focus on what you can do in that moment. You don’t have the luxury to process everything emotionally when you are working. You have to keep going, patient after patient. But as a human being, it does affect you. You see children, you see families, and you understand what they are going through. Still, during work, you have to stay focused on treatment.
Question: There’s a part where you mentioned people losing even their basic dignity. How difficult is it to witness that, knowing you can’t fix it immediately?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: It is difficult, but we have to be clear about our role. We are not there to fix everything. We are there to treat patients. The situation around us may be chaotic. When patients die, sometimes people even blame us. But in that environment, you have to stay focused on your responsibility. Treating people remains our priority.
Question: When you have more patients than you can treat, how do you decide who gets treated first? How do you live with those decisions?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: Like I said, the number of patients is always more than what the system can handle. In such situations, you follow basic medical priorities. You treat those who can be saved with immediate intervention. It is not an easy decision, but in these environments, you have to be practical.
You don’t have the luxury to think too much about each decision at that moment. You focus on doing the maximum possible with the limited resources you have. That becomes your approach.
Question: There are moments where you know someone could have survived if there were proper resources. How do you carry that weight?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: That is something you are aware of all the time. You know that with better facilities, better access, some of these lives could have been saved. But like I said earlier, we are not there to fix the entire system. We are there to treat with what we have.
You cannot carry every single outcome with you while you are working. If you do that, you won’t be able to continue. You accept the limitations and focus on the patients you can help.
Question: After coming back, do these memories stay with you? Or do you learn to switch off?
Dr. Santosh: The memories stay. You don’t completely switch off from something like this. What you see there, it stays with you in some form.
But over time, you learn how to manage it. Because if you keep holding on to everything, it becomes very difficult to continue this kind of work. So you carry it, but you also learn how to move forward.
Question: A lot of young people today see such things only through social media. What do you think they are missing?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: What you see on social media is only a small part of the reality. It doesn’t show you the full picture. It doesn’t show the scale, the continuous nature of the suffering, or what people are going through every single day.
Like I said, when you are physically present there, you understand how different it is. Social media can inform you, but it cannot make you fully understand the situation.
Question: How can youngsters build real empathy, not just momentary sympathy that fades after scrolling?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: Empathy comes from understanding and consistency. It is not about reacting to one post or one video. It is about staying aware, learning more about the situation, and trying to understand what people are going through.
It also means thinking beyond immediate reactions. If you want to build real empathy, you have to stay connected to the issue, not just for a moment, but over time.
Question: For someone who genuinely wants to help, where do they even begin?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: You don’t have to start with something big. You can begin by educating yourself, understanding the ground realities, and supporting credible organisations that are working in these areas.
Helping is not always about being physically present in a conflict zone. There are many ways to contribute, even from where you are.
Question: Do you think you need to be a doctor or specialist to make a difference in such situations?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: No, not at all. Of course, medical professionals have a specific role, but these situations require support in many forms. There are people working in logistics, coordination, communication, and many other areas.
Everyone has a role to play depending on their skills.
Question: What role can students or young professionals play from where they are?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: They can start by being informed and responsible. They can support the right initiatives, raise awareness in a meaningful way, and contribute in whatever capacity they can.
Like I said, you don’t have to be on the ground to make a difference. What matters is how consistently and responsibly you engage with the issue.
Dr. Santhosh Kumar recounts his experience in Gaza at the Quantum Century exhibition in February 2026. (Courtesy: The Hindu)
Question: After everything you’ve seen in Gaza, has it changed how you look at life?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: It does change you in some ways. When you see people struggling for the most basic things, food, water, safety, you start looking at life a little differently. Things we often take for granted become much more real.
At the same time, like I said, you learn to keep moving forward. You cannot keep thinking about everything all the time. You take what you have seen, and you continue with your work.
Question: If there’s one thing you want people to understand about Gaza beyond headlines and politics, what would that be?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: The most important thing is to understand the reality on the ground. This is not just about headlines or numbers. These are real people, living in extremely difficult conditions.
And like I said earlier, it is important to understand that what is happening there is not a war. It is a genocide. Unless people understand that, they won’t fully understand the situation.
Question: And finally, what keeps you going? What makes you still say yes, even after seeing so much pain?
Dr. Santosh Kumar: Like I said, this is something I chose a long time ago. From my early years, I have been involved in this kind of work. So for me, it is a commitment.
You don’t think about it every time as a new decision. You just continue doing what you believe is your responsibility. That is what keeps me going.
