First Thing: Four-day ceasefire begins but IDF says ‘war is not over yet’

Mediator Qatar says operations room in Doha will monitor the truce. Plus: the upward trajectory of the far right in Europe

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Good morning.

The ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas came into effect this morning, before the expected release of the first group of Israeli hostages held by the militant Islamist organisation in return for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

What has the IDF said about the ceasefire? The war is not over yet," the Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee has said in a message in Arabic to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said: The humanitarian pause is temporary. The northern Gaza Strip is a dangerous warzone and it is forbidden to move north. For your safety, you must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south."

When will hostages be released? The exchange of female and child hostages and prisoners was due to take place on Thursday but was postponed as last-minute logistical issues were worked out during 24 hours of frantic diplomacy. Sources close to the negotiations said Israel had presented a series of late requests for clarification of practical issues, and demanded the full identification of the hostages Hamas intended to release.

Was the window a success? Beyond a year-long supply of headlines featuring high-profile names, many say that the adult survivors' window, signed into law in May last year by the New York governor, Kathy Hochul, may not have lasted long enough to address all the potential claims by survivors. It was noted that many victims do not have powerful law firms behind them with a possible settlement award at the end of the process.