A humanitarian pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas will extend by two days, mediator Qatar said Monday as an initial four-day truce in Gaza was set to expire.
“The State of Qatar announces that, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said on X, formerly Twitter.
TOPSHOT – Palestinians inspect the destruction caused by Israeli strikes on their homes in the village of Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Israeli government said today it had put Hamas “on notice” that an “option for an extension” of the truce in the Gaza Strip was open. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) (Agence France-Presse (AFP)/AFP)
Over the course of the humanitarian pause and in weeks prior, Qatar, with the support of the United States and Egypt, has been engaged in intense negotiations to establish and prolong the truce in Gaza, which mediators had said was designed to be broadened and expanded.
Over the course of the initial truce a total 50 civilian hostages, women and children, were expected to be freed by Hamas.
An International Red Cross vehicle carrying Israeli Russian hostage Ron Krivoy released by Hamas drives towards the Rafah border point with Egypt ahead of a transfer to Israel on November 26, 2023. The Israeli army said in a statement on November 26, 2023 that 13 released hostages were back on Israeli territory, and another four were on their way via the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP) (Agence France-Presse (AFP)/AFP)
In exchange, 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel were to be released and humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza.
During its first three days, 39 Israeli hostages were freed by the militant group in exchange for 117 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails as part of the deal between the two sides.
A vehicle carrying Israeli hostages released by Hamas from the Gaza Strip arrives at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, early on November 26, 2023. Hamas on November 25, released a second group of Israeli and foreign civilians it had been holding hostage in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, after an hours-long unexpected delay set nerves on edge. Israeli authorities said 13 Israelis and four Thai citizens had returned to Israel. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Agence France-Presse (AFP)/AFP)
As a result of parallel negotiations led by the Gulf state, 17 Thais, one Filipino and one dual Russian-Israeli national have also been released by the Palestinian militants.
The figure set for release is by far the largest since Hamas gunmen stormed across Gaza’s militarised border on October 7 and staged the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.
Israel says the attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 240 more were taken hostage, among them elderly people and children.
Palestinians walk past the destruction caused by Israeli strikes on their homes in the village of Khuzaa, east of Khan Yunis near the border fence between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on November 27, 2023, amid a truce in battles between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli government said today it had put Hamas “on notice” that an “option for an extension” of the truce in the Gaza Strip was open. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) (Agence France-Presse (AFP)/AFP)
In response, Israel launched a relentless bombing campaign and ground offensive in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which the Hamas government says has killed 15,000 people, thousands of them children.
