Qatar announced on Monday that mediators had brokered a deal to extend the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas by two days, aiming to allow for the release of more hostages held in Gaza.
The extension of the initial four-day pause to the Israel-Hamas conflict, which was scheduled to conclude on Monday, follows mounting domestic and international pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to grant more time for the hostages’ release. Israel’s military confirmed on Monday evening that an additional 11 hostages had been freed by Hamas, while Qatar stated that Israel had released 33 Palestinian prisoners.
Spokesperson Majed al-Ansari of the Qatari foreign ministry announced the two-day extension of the humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, demonstrating Qatar’s mediation between Israel and Hamas.
Amid these developments, Hamas confirmed its agreement to prolong the ceasefire by two days, under the same previous conditions, while Israel has not yet issued a statement about the deal.
While the released hostage count for the next 48 hours was not specified by Ansari, negotiators previously indicated that a two-day ceasefire extension would prompt Hamas to release another 20 women and children held in Gaza, in exchange for Israel freeing another 60 Palestinian women and children held in its prisons.
© via Reuters
