In the Israeli-Hamas conflict, the truce in which captives from Gaza have been released in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails under an original four-day truce deal appears to be continuing into its fifth day, as mediators have said that the process will continue on the basis of the fourth release of captives from Gaza.
The Qatari government, which has facilitated indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, as well as Egypt, announced that a truce was extended by two days, which meant that the original four-day truce, which was due to expire on Monday, was to be extended by two days.
Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters after a closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday that both sides had agreed to release more people within a couple of days.
Taking this step is a very positive step in the right direction,” Al-Thani said.
Israeli officials still had not officially confirmed the extension of the truce by Tuesday morning, despite a report by Israel’s Army Radio which cited the prime minister’s office that another list of captives was received – who are scheduled to be released later that day – after the extension of the truce was confirmed.
For every 10 additional prisoners released by Hamas in exchange for a ceasefire extension, Israel has stated that it would extend the ceasefire by one day.
There are ten Israeli captives named in the latest list of names, according to the local news website Axios. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not make any immediate comment on the matter.
After a cease-fire declared by Israel on Friday, 69 Israelis and foreign captives were released by Hamas under the truce, bringing the total number of Israelis and foreign prisoners released by Hamas to 69 since Friday.
Israel’s Prison Service announced on Monday that 33 Palestinians who had been detained at Ofer prison in the West Bank and at a detention center in Jerusalem had been released as well, bringing the total number of Palestinians that have been released since Friday to 150.
While the Red Cross bus carrying the freed Palestinian prisoners made its way through the streets of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, they were greeted with loud cheers as it made its way through the streets by an enthusiastic crowd.
There was also a rise in the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza as part of the original truce agreement, where food, fuel, drinking water, and medicine are in short supply for the civilian population.
According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, while describing the extension of the truce as a “glimpse of hope and humanity”, it is not enough time to meet Gaza’s needs in terms of food and medical supplies.
It has been reported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) that during the four-day pause in hostilities, humanitarian aid groups, including the Red Crescent, have been able to provide assistance to people who are in desperate need throughout Gaza. A total of 1.8 million people are internally displaced and need assistance.
There have been more than 14,800 deaths in Gaza – including roughly 10,000 women and children – since Israel began attacking the Palestinian enclave following Hamas’s October 7 raid on northern Israel, which resulted in 1200 deaths, since Israel launched its attacks on Gaza.
According to the UN, the intensive bombing of Gaza by Israel has also resulted in the destruction of 46,000 homes and the damage of more than 234,000 – roughly 60 percent of all the homes that are present in Gaza, according to the report.
Israel has warned that it will resume its war against Gaza despite the apparent extension of the force for two additional days. It has said that it remains committed to crushing Hamas militarily despite the apparent extension of the force.
It is likely that after the resumption of hostilities, Israeli forces will likely expand their air, land and sea offensives from the destroyed northern Gaza Strip to the south of the enclave where thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge.
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