Morning recap: Temporary Gaza truce brings joy, relief, anxiety and fear to Palestinians

Good morning MEE readers. It has been two hours since a temporary four-day truce between Israel and Hamas went into effect in Gaza, and Palestinians displaced in the south have quickly packed their belongings to make their way north and return to their homes, despite whether they may or may not be destroyed.

So far, the truce appears to be holding with no signs of Israeli air strikes or exchanges of fire. Aid and fuel trucks have begun entering Gaza via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

If you're just tuning into the news, here's what you need to catch yourself up on:

• The truce deal between Israel and Hamas will see the armed Palestinian group release 50 captives to Israel, in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinians in Israeli jails. CNN reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official, that 39 Palestinians, mostly women and children, would be released on Friday.

• Just prior to the truce, Gaza witnessed some of the most intense bombings since the war broke out on 7 October. Israel also stormed Indonesia Hospital, killing one woman, while also injuring and arresting several others.

• A Palestinian journalist and her family were killed in Israeli bombardment in the north.

• An Israeli minister is threatening Haaretz with different penalties, accusing the newspaper of its critical coverage of Israel's military operation in Gaza.