Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Monday that a truce in Gaza has been extended for two more days.
“An agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Hamas said on Monday it had agreed with Qatar and Egypt to a two-day extension of the truce with Israel under the same conditions as the previous four-day ceasefire.
“An agreement has been reached with the brothers in Qatar and Egypt to extend the temporary humanitarian truce by two more days, with the same conditions as in the previous truce,” a Hamas official said in a phone call with Reuters.
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Earlier, three Egyptian security sources said Hamas was seeking a four-day extension while Israel wanted day-by-day extensions, with negotiations continuing over which Palestinians would be freed from Israeli prisons. Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. have been acting as mediators since hostages were taken as part of Hamas militants’ attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby in Washington said the White House welcomed the pause and hoped it could be extended beyond just two days.
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An Israeli government spokesperson said on Monday that the total number of hostages still held in Gaza was now 184, including 14 foreigners and 80 Israelis with dual nationality.
Meanwhile, a fourth exchange of Hamas-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel was planned for later Monday.
On Sunday, Hamas freed 17 people, including four-year-old Israeli-American girl Abigail Edan, whose parents were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel. That brought the total number of people the militant group has released since Friday to 58, while 117 Palestinians have been freed.
Hamas spokesperson…
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