Israel and Hamas agreed this Monday to extend a truce agreement in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages from the Islamist movement and Palestinian prisonersannounced Qatar, which acted as mediator, hours before the expiration of the pact.
The news was given by the Qatari Foreign Ministry in a message on the social network It means that 10 more hostages will be released tomorrow by Hamas and 10 more on Wednesday, in exchange for the release of another 30 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
There was no immediate confirmation from Israel, but Hamas issued a statement ratifying the extension of the agreement and thanking Qatar and Egypt for acting as mediators.
“Qatar announces that, as part of ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said on X.
In its statement, Hamas said that “an agreement was reached with the brothers in Qatar and Egypt” to extend “the humanitarian truce for two additional days, with the same conditions as the previous truce.”
Gaza Strip: exchange of hostages for prisoners
A total of 58 hostages – and around 120 Palestinian prisoners – have already been released since last Friday under the agreement extended this Monday, which was announced last week after long negotiations sponsored by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
Under the agreement, Israel accepted a four-day truce – which expired today – in its offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas due to the attacks by the Palestinian Islamist movement in Israeli territory on October 7, which left some 1,200 dead, in its majority civilians.
Some 240 people, including twenty Argentines, were kidnapped by Hamas and taken to the Gaza Strip.
More than 14,800 Palestinians, including some 6,000 children, have since been killed in Israeli bombings in Gaza, and 1.7 million of the enclave’s 2.3 million inhabitants have had to flee their homes.
More hostages released in Gaza Strip
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A fourth batch of hostages is due to be released this Monday by Hamas. Israeli media said it will be made up of 11 Israelis, nine boys and two women. The Israeli government said it has already informed their families of their imminent release.
Since Friday, Hamas has also released 19 foreign hostages, mostly Thai, outside the agreement, which contemplated exchanging 50 Israeli hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners. The pact also contemplates that Israel allows humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
Source: Ambito
