Israel and Hamas reached a last-minute agreement on Thursday to extend the ceasefire for a seventh day, according to Reuters.
The truce allowed humanitarian aid to enter Gaza after much of the enclave with a population of 2.3 million was subjected to seven weeks of bombardment by Israel in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas surprise attack.
Israel, which demanded Hamas release at least 10 hostages a day to maintain the ceasefire, claimed it had received a last-minute list of those to be liberated on Thursday, allowing it to cancel plans to resume hostilities at dawn.
In light of the mediators’ efforts to continue the process of releasing the hostages and subject to the terms of the framework, the operational pause will continue.
Hamas, which released 16 hostages on Wednesday, also announced that the truce would last for a seventh day. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was visiting Israel, stated that efforts to extend the truce were ongoing.
“We have seen over the last week the very positive development of hostages coming home, being reunited with their families. And that should continue today. It’s also enabled an increase in humanitarian assistance to go to innocent civilians in Gaza who need it desperately. So this process is producing results. It’s important, and we hope that it can continue.”
So far, militants have released 97 hostages during the truce: 70 Israeli women and children, each released in exchange for three detained Palestinian women and teenagers, as well as 27 foreign hostages liberated under parallel agreements with their governments. With fewer Israeli women and children left in captivity, extending the truce may require establishing new terms for the release of the Israeli men, including soldiers.
Shortly after the agreement, Israeli police reported that two Palestinian assailants opened fire at a bus stop during the morning rush hour near the entrance to Jerusalem, shooting at least three people dead. Both attackers were “neutralised,” police informed.
Two terrorists arrived at the scene in a vehicle armed with firearms, these terrorists opened fire towards civilians at the bus station and were subsequently neutralised by security forces and a nearby civilian.
A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that the terms of the ceasefire, including the cessation of hostilities and the flow of humanitarian aid, remained the same. Qatar has been a key mediator between the military conflict parties, along with Egypt and the United States.
Israel vowed to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s actions on October 7, when Israel reported that militants killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages.
Israel had bombed the territory for seven weeks before the truce. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that more than 15,000 residents of the enclave have been confirmed killed, about 40 per cent of them children. Another 6,500 are missing, with many fearing they are still buried under rubble.
The United States is calling on Israel to narrow the war zone and clarify where Palestinian civilians can seek safety during any Israeli operation in southern Gaza to prevent a repeat of the massive death toll, according to US officials.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared on Wednesday that the Gaza Strip remained in the midst of an “epic humanitarian catastrophe.” Israel rejects a permanent ceasefire as favourable to Hamas.
Jordan will hold a conference on Thursday bringing together key UN, regional and international aid agencies to coordinate aid to Gaza, official media reported.
