Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant confirmed on Thursday that the Israeli military operation against Hamas will continue after the short truce, and that the fighting is expected to continue for another two months.

He added: "This will be a short pause for organization, preparation, investigations, and arming. When it ends, the fighting will continue intensely, and will create pressure that will allow more hostages to return."

Hamas and Israel have reached an agreement on a temporary truce that begins on Friday and lasts for 4 days and includes a process of exchanging prisoners and detainees.