Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their temporary ceasefire for two more days, officials said on Monday – hours before the current peace lull is set to expire.
Qatari and Egyptian negotiators, who are leading peace talks between Israel and Hamas, said they had reached an agreement to extend the ceasefire in Gaza until Wednesday.
Hamas said the extension would follow the rules previously set in the initial four-day deal, meaning the terrorists would release at least 20 more hostages in exchange for two additional days of peace.
The extension will also see three Palestinian prisoners in Israel released for every hostage released.
Although Israel has yet to comment on the extension, its leadership previously agreed to extend the ceasefire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released.
The new deal comes ahead of the latest group of hostages to be released on Monday, with Hamas wanting to free 11 Israelis and the Jewish state set to release 33 Palestinians.
Under the cease-fire that began Thursday, hostages have been released daily by Hamas, while Israel has freed Palestinian prisoners and allowed more aid to the Gaza Strip.
The continued diplomacy between Israel and Hamas comes as a relief to world leaders who have supported a longer ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israel-Hamas war has seen the deaths of more than 1,200 Israelis and more than 14,000 Palestinians, an unprecedented loss of life in the decades-long conflict between the two groups.
Israeli forces maintain a ceasefire in Gaza during the exchange of Hamas hostages for Palestinian prisoners. AP
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Sunday, President Biden said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to support extending the humanitarian pause.
“That is our goal, to ensure this pause continues [Monday],” he said, adding that he wanted to see more hostages freed and more aid reach Gaza’s civilians.
The president’s admission came as Hamas on Sunday released its first American hostage included in the ceasefire agreement, 4-year-old Abigail Edan.
But Netanyahu has reiterated that temporary peace in Gaza is just that, because his country remains committed to eliminating Hamas.
“We have three goals for this war: eliminate Hamas, return all our hostages and make sure Gaza is no longer a threat to the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said during his first visit to the Palestinian territories during the war on Sunday.
“We will continue until the end, until victory,” he added.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
