Israel, Hamas agree to extend truce for two more days

KATHMANDU: Israel and Hamas reached an agreement Monday to extend their cease-fire in Gaza for two more days, with the militants releasing more hostages and the Jewish state freeing more Palestinian prisoners, the Qatari government announced.

The extension of the temporary cease-fire was negotiated by Qatar and came on the final day of the original four-day truce between the warring sides.

The United States, which has been calling for a truce as long as hostages are being released, said it welcomed the extended cessation in fighting.

U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement that the halt in warfare has “enabled a significant surge in additional humanitarian assistance to the innocent civilians who are suffering across the Gaza Strip.” He said the U.S. will not stop its diplomatic efforts until all hostages held by Hamas are freed.

“We’d certainly like to see even that extension extended further until all the hostages are released,” said John Kirby, director of strategic communications for the National Security Council. “That’s really the goal here, to get all the hostages home with their families where they belong. And you know, however long that could take.”

Israel had said it would halt its ground invasion and aerial attack on Hamas in the Gaza Strip by one day beyond the original pact for every 10 additional hostages Hamas releases and free three times that many Palestinians held in Israeli jails on various offenses. Hamas confirmed it had agreed to a two-day extension “under the same terms.”

A fourth swap of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners was underway late Monday, with the Israel Defense Forces saying that 11 hostages held by Hamas had been released and were on their way to Israel. In all, 50 Israeli hostages were freed over the last four days, and 150 Palestinians were expected to be released.

While the extended cease-fire held out the prospect of a longer truce, Israel has remained adamant in its stated goal of crushing Hamas’ military capabilities and ending its 16-year rule over Gaza, the narrow territory along the Mediterranean Sea, after the shock October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to the Hamas capture of about 240 hostages, according to Israel.

Israel’s offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza has killed more than 14,000 people, the majority of them women and children, according to Gaza health officials.

Under the original agreement, before any Monday swap of hostages and prisoners, 58 hostages have been released, including 39 Israelis. Before the truce, four hostages were freed, another rescued and two were found dead inside Gaza. More than 100 Palestinians have been freed from Israeli jails.

In a statement, two relatives of Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl with dual Israeli American citizenship who was released Sunday, said, “We can get all hostages back home. We have to keep pushing.”

-VOA