A pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas appeared to take effect Friday morning in Gaza, part of a four-day cease-fire deal that calls for Hamas to free at least 50 hostages and Israel to release dozens of Palestinians from its prisons. Just minutes after the short-term truce was scheduled to begin, Israel's military sounded alarms in several villages near Gaza warning of possible incoming rocket fire, but there was no immediate word of ongoing violence, leaving hope that the first hostage releases as part of the deal would still go forward later Friday.

The cease-fire had been set to start at 7 a.m. local time, which is midnight on the East Coast of the U.S. The Israeli military did not make any official announcement at that time, but a spokesperson stressed in a social media post 25 minutes earlier that the suspension of hostilities was temporary, and "the war is not over yet."

Israeli Defense Forces Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee warned that the northern Gaza Strip remained "a dangerous war zone and it is forbidden to move around" there, adding that people in the decimated Palestinian territory "must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south of the Strip" and only move toward that area on one road, adding that "the movement of residents from the south of the Strip to the north will not be allowed in any way."

 An initial batch of 13 hostages being held by Hamas militants were slated to be released at 4 p.m. local time Friday (9 a.m. Eastern), according to a Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson. The names of those hostages were provided to Israeli authorities on Thursday, the Qatari official said.

The Red Cross would be involved in the hostage handover, but the exact location it would take place was being kept secret for security reasons, the official added. According to Qatari officials, children will be released with their mothers and won't be separated. 

"We welcome the announcement from Qatar and expect to see a number of hostages coming out of Gaza tomorrow," a White House spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News Thursday night.

Under the terms of the deal brokered earlier this week with the help of the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, 50 hostages — all women and children who were kidnapped by Hamas militants during their Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel — will be freed in batches over four days. They are among an estimated 240 captives who are still believed to be held in Gaza.

Hostage Exchange and Ceasefire in Israel-Palestine Conflict

According to a senior official from the Biden administration, it is expected that three American hostages will be among the group of 50 hostages to be released.

During a press conference on Thursday, President Biden was asked about the youngest American hostage, Abigail Mor Idan, who is turning four years old on Friday. In response, President Biden said, "fingers crossed." Idan's parents were tragically killed by Hamas.

In exchange for the hostages, the Israeli military has agreed to a four-day pause in the war and the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners, primarily women and children, who are currently held in Israeli prisons.

"Our goal is to achieve a lasting truce through this deal," said Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry, during a news conference on Thursday. "Currently, the scope of this deal is limited to the four-day pause, but we hope to expand it in future phases by securing the release of more hostages. This will provide more time for the parties to engage in deep negotiations and ultimately bring an end to this violence."

Israeli Government Announces Additional Hostage Release Will Extend Pause

The Israeli government announced on Tuesday that for every 10 additional hostages released, the pause in hostilities will be extended by one day, according to a statement released. So far, only four Hamas hostages have been released, including two Americans and two Israelis.

Al Ansari, a spokesperson for the government, stated that the release of Palestinian prisoners is expected to closely follow the release of the Gaza hostages. Palestinian prisoner rights' groups estimate that there are currently 7,000 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, including over 200 Palestinian children and about 75 women. In recent weeks, dozens more have been arrested.

Samaher Aouad, whose daughter Norhan is on the list of jailed Palestinians who may be freed, expressed her sadness over the loss of her daughter's childhood due to the Israeli occupation. Norhan was arrested at the age of 15 for attempting to stab an Israeli soldier nine years ago.

Aid trucks were scheduled to enter Gaza immediately after the cease-fire began through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, according to Al-Ansari. While there is no immediate confirmation of additional aid flowing across the border, a local media outlet reported that trucks carrying fuel were seen moving through the border gate into Gaza.