Qatar’s chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, told Reuters that the International Committee of the Red Cross would be working inside Gaza to facilitate the hostages’ release.

“(It’s) going to be an intensive period where we’re going to be 24/7 in direct communication with the ICRC and the two parties making sure that we perfect the release of the hostages,” Al-Khulaifi said.

He said that the truce means there would be “no attack whatsoever. No military movements, no expansion, nothing”. Al-Khulaifi added that Qatar hopes the deal “will be a seed to a bigger agreement and a permanent cease of fire. And that’s our intention”.

Al-Khulaifi said: “In our understanding it’s the light at the end of the tunnel. It is a positive development to this very difficult and complicated crisis that we’re living.”