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podcasts and print so for fact sake search the economist. Happening now, breaking news. We're now just hours away from a truce between Israel and Hamas.

That pause in hostility, set to begin at 3 a.m. Eastern time

eventually followed by the return of at least 50 captives. The Israeli

government now says the hostage release won't occur before Friday.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world.

I'm Wolf Blitzer and Tel Aviv Israel,

and you're in the situation room. This is CNN breaking news.

All right, we're following the breaking news right here in the Middle East. The agonizing weight for the first major, first major release of hostages from Gaza.

Let's get straight to CNN's Jeremy Diamond.

He's joining us from Storote in Israel, not far from the Gaza border.

Jeremy, we just learned from the Israel National Security Council

that no hostages will be released before Friday.

What else are you learning?

Yeah, that's right.

Well, if Israel's National Security Advisor saying that the release of the hostages which was

expected to take place tomorrow will now be delayed until Friday. He says in a

statement that that is the original agreement between both sides and not providing a reason for the delay.

...