A deal to release some of the hostages held by Hamas has been delayed, with Israeli officials saying it will not take effect until Friday, a day later than originally planned.

The diplomatic agreement between Hamas and Israel gave hopes of some relief to the bombardment pummelling Gaza since the October 7 attacks.

As part of the temporary ceasefire deal, 150 Palestinians, mostly women and teenagers, are due to be freed from Israeli jails in return for 50 of the roughly 240 hostages Hamas is holding.

Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late on Wednesday.

He did not provide a reason, but Israeli media reported that some final details were still being worked out.

Hamas had said the ceasefire was due to begin at 10am local time (0800 GMT) on Thursday.

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