Gaza - The head of Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital, the largest in the Palestinian territory, was arrested Thursday by Israeli forces who said it was over the facility's alleged use by Hamas.

Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya has been frequently quoted by international media about the conditions inside Al-Shifa, a major focus of an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza.

The Israeli army, which raided the hospital last week, has alleged that Hamas fighters used a tunnel complex beneath the facility in Gaza City to stage attacks. Hamas and hospital officials have repeatedly denied the claims.

Palestinian health officials said Abu Salmiya, another doctor, and two nurses had been arrested.

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The hospital director was held for questioning following "evidence showing that Shifa Hospital, under his direct management, served as a Hamas command and control center," the Israeli military said in a statement.

There was "extensive Hamas terrorist activity" at the hospital while it was "under his management," it said, adding that a Hamas tunnel network used electricity and other resources from the facility.

Whether the director would be subject to further questioning would depend on whether he was found to have "involvement in terrorist activity," it said.

Israel has been accused of war crimes in its targeting of hospitals and ambulances. In Gaza, 25 hospitals and 52 health centers have been forced to close, and more than 200 health workers have been killed since the Israeli bombardment began.

The arrest of Abu Salmiya came one day before an agreed temporary pause is set to start on Friday morning, with the first hostages to be released hours later, mediator Qatar said.

Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and of Palestinians detained by Israel were forced to wait an extra day after the breakthrough four-day truce deal was put on hold.

Qatar, which facilitated the truce deal along with Egypt and the United States, said the pause would begin Friday at 7:00 AM with the "first batch" of 13 civilian hostages being handed over about nine hours later.

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The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed the ceasefire would start at 7:00 AM under the deal that is also intended to provide aid to Gaza's 2.4 million residents struggling to survive with shortages of food, water, and fuel.

"The truce applies for four days, starting from Friday morning, accompanied by the cessation of all military actions from the Qassam Brigades and the Palestinian resistance, as well as the Zionist enemy throughout the truce period," it said.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was in contact with the families of the hostages after receiving "a first list of names" for those due to be released. It did not specify who was on the list.

Instead of a pause, fighting raged on Thursday. Explosions were heard on an AFPTV livecam and heavy gray clouds hovering over the territory's north, much of which has been reduced to rubble.

Governments around the world have welcomed the deal, with some expressing hope it will lead to a lasting end to the war.

"This cannot be just a pause before the massacre starts all over again," Riyad Mansour, Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, told the Security Council.

But Israeli officials say the truce will be only temporary.

"We are not ending the war. We will continue until we are victorious," Israel's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, told troops he visited in Gaza, according to the army.