The temporary ceasefire will be extended for about 48 hours. Hamas and Qatar announced on Monday a <>-hour extension of the truce in Gaza, in exchange for further releases of hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist movement and prisoners held in Israeli jails. Israel did not immediately confirm the extension.
Hamas, which seized power in the Gaza Strip in 2007, had earlier said it was preparing a new list of hostages to be freed in order to extend the truce in fighting with Israel. The first announcement had been made a few minutes earlier by Qatar, the country mediating the agreement. "An agreement has been reached to extend the two-day humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on X, formerly Twitter.
The State of Qatar announces, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian pause for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip.
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) November 27, 2023
Israel had earlier in the day offered the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas an "option" to extend the truce that began Friday and was originally scheduled to end Tuesday at 7 a.m. (6 a.m. in Paris), an Israeli government spokesman said Monday, including the release of 50 more hostages.
A provision of the initial deal allows it to be renewed to free a dozen hostages daily in the hands of Hamas, in exchange for the release of about thirty Palestinian prisoners. On Sunday, Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007, said it was "seeking to extend the truce" in order to "increase the number of prisoners released."
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The Israeli government is under intense pressure to extend the truce and thus allow for the release of more hostages, which has been forcefully demanded by a public opinion traumatized by the Hamas attack. After U.S. President Joe Biden, the European Union and NATO called on Monday for an extension of the truce. A further reprieve would "provide more aid to people in dire need and secure the release of more hostages," according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.