A temporary case-fire paired with the releases of hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails is not likely to begin until tomorrow at the earliest, Israeli officials said, as negotiators continued to hammer out details of an agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The new timing appeared to rule out the possibility that hostages could be freed on Thursday, as many of their families had hoped, and it underscored the fluidity of the negotiations.

The two sides have not announced specific plans for an exchange of at least 150 Palestinian women and children jailed by Israel for at least 50 Israeli women and children held in Gaza, including details on exactly when people would begin to be released and whom would be included.

In Gaza: The Israeli military said that it “continued to fight,” highlighting that an agreement to pause the conflict was not yet in place. The U.S. has pushed Israel to take broad measures aimed at lessening the harm to Palestinian civilians, including such actions as setting up safe areas, allowing in more medical aid and permitting larger deliveries of fuel.

In Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the agreement was a step toward Israel’s objective of freeing all of the captives held in Gaza. For weeks, Israeli leaders were divided about whether a temporary cease-fire might help Hamas regroup and endanger the remaining hostages.

Behind the scenes: The path to the deal has been a long and treacherous one, Peter Baker, our White House correspondent, writes.

More details:

Hamas and Israel still disagree on how many captives are being held in Gaza, making it hard to work out whom exactly will be released, according to Israeli officials.

The pause would allow for an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, through both the Egyptian and Israeli borders. But there is not yet agreement on the amounts of supplies that would be allowed through, according to an Israeli official.

Source: New York times