( CNN ) -- Syria 's nearly 3-year-old civil war saw more bloodshed Thursday , and perhaps a moment of peace . Fighting at a huge prison in the volatile city of Aleppo brought conflicting rebel claims on whether they controlled all or part of the facility . Meanwhile , the United Nations and the United States confirmed an agreement announced by rebels and the government of a planned cease-fire in the besieged Old City of Homs that would allow some people to flee and humanitarian aid to arrive for the first time in over a year . `` We welcome the news that a deal has been reached , '' U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said of what she called `` a local humanitarian pause '' to begin Friday . An opposition spokesman in Homs , Abu Rami , said the agreement called for a cease-fire at a time to be set by the government and expected imminently . Once the fighting halts , women , civilians over 55 and children under 15 can choose to leave the Old City if they agree not to take up arms against the government , he said . After the first group of evacuations , Syrian troops would clear the way for a U.N. aid convoy packed with food and medicine to enter the area for the first time in more than a year , according to Abu Rami . `` We have nothing to give the families , '' he told CNN via Skype from the Old City of Homs . `` We are crippled because of the lack of food and medicine , which especially affects the women , children , and the elderly , so for the sake of the public good , we must agree to this cease-fire . '' According to SANA , the official Syrian news agency , the government would provide shelter , food and medical treatment to people who leave the Old City . In addition , the agreement calls for government forces to allow humanitarian assistance to people who remain in the besieged area , SANA reported . Valerie Amos , the U.N. emergency relief coordinator , said the cease-fire agreement would mean essential supplies for about 2,500 people in Homs . `` What we 're waiting for is a green light to be given by the parties for safe passage , '' said Farhan Haq , a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon . In Washington , Psaki called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 's government to follow through on allowing U.N. convoys to enter Homs , adding that `` an evacuation is not a substitute for the safe , regular , and unfettered delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need wherever they are . '' `` We should not be giving credit to a regime just for providing food for a few days to people who are starving , given that 's the right moral thing to do , and this is something they should have been doing all along , '' Psaki said . Asked about concerns that the Syrian regime might be preparing for a final assault on those who remain in Homs once the other civilians depart , Psaki refused to speculate but said it was important for the U.N. convoys to get access to the Old City . In Aleppo , Islamist brigade Ahrar al-Sham and al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front took control of the sprawling six-story Aleppo Central Prison from government forces after announcing an offensive to free detainees , opposition groups the Aleppo Media Center and Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday . However , an activist from the rebel Shahba Press Agency group , Nazeer al-Khatib , later told CNN only a part of the prison was under rebel control . He cited miscommunication for backtracking on the initial claims . `` Information came from the Ahrar al-Sham media office regarding the full takeover of the prison and media activists hurried the transmission of information , '' al-Khatib told CNN via Skype from the city . The media center and the observatory could not be immediately reached for comment . Aleppo is a major battle front in the Syrian conflict , which has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced millions since erupting in 2011 . The prison has an estimated 3,000 detainees , many of them prisoners of conscience . At least 800 women were among the prisoners , al-Khatib told CNN . Clashes between government forces and rebels started early Thursday after rebels detonated a car bomb in front of a building in the prison complex housing Syrian army troops , the Aleppo Media Center said . Government warplanes dropped barrel bombs on the perimeter of the prison and tanks fired shells to reverse the advance of insurgents , causing dozens of casualties , the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said . CNN 's Joe Sterling and Tom Cohen contributed to this report .
NEW : Women , children , elderly to get a chance to leave Homs , with aid to arrive . It is unclear whether rebels have full or partial control of a prison in Aleppo . Around 3,000 people have been detained at the prison , many of them women . The Syrian conflict is nearly 3 years old .