Gaza City, Gaza - Delays are already affecting the start of a four-day ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas to let aid into Gaza and to free dozens of hostages, which was set to go into effect after nearly seven weeks of war.

The truce was due to begin on Thursday at 10 AM local time, but the exact timing remained unclear, as Israel has not yet said when it will pause its air and ground offensive in the coastal area.

An Israeli army spokesman said the process of returning hostages from the Gaza Strip to Israel is complex and not yet concrete.

The military is preparing the implementation of this first phase of the hostage exchange agreement, spokesperson Daniel Hagari said late on Wednesday. However, the repatriation of the people abducted to the sealed-off coastal strip could take time and take place in several stages, he said.

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"The release [of hostages] will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday," Israel's security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi was quoted by newspapers Haaretz and the Times of Israel as saying.

"The talks on the release of our hostages are progressing and will continue on an ongoing basis."

The first exchange of hostages kidnapped in Israel for Palestinian prisoners was initially expected to take place on Thursday.

The Times of Israel cited an Israeli official as explaining the delay by saying that both Israel and Hamas would have to sign a document ratifying the agreement for it to come into force.

Haaretz reported that Israeli officials had said there would be no halt to the fighting as long as there is no finalized timeline for the agreement with Hamas.

The agreement foresees 100 hostages being released from Gaza in exchange for 300 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

The Israeli Cabinet signed off on the deal early Wednesday after weeks of fraught negotiations mediated by Qatar.

The deal's first step involves the release in stages of 50 Israeli women and children that have been held by militants in Gaza since the October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people. In exchange, 150 Palestinian – a majority of whom are women and children – will to be released.

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In a second step, up to 50 further Israeli hostages are also to be exchanged in small groups for up to 150 further Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire is to be accompanied by larger aid deliveries for the suffering civilian population in the Gaza Strip, where food, water, electricity, and medical supplies are running scarce.

Israel said the ceasefire will last at least four days, but could be extended by one day for every additional 10 hostages released.

A maximum of 10 days is planned for the entire exchange. After that, the Israeli army's assault on the Gaza Strip, which has already killed more than 14,000 people, is set to continue.