Israel: The Israel-Hamas conflict appeared to be entering its fifth day of truce as the two sides finished their fourth round of prisoner releases from Gaza in return for Palestinians detained in Israeli jails during the first four days of the agreement, although negotiators stated the process would go on.
There was an agreement to extend the initial four-day truce by two days; it was set to expire on Monday. Qatar, along with Egypt, has facilitated indirect talks between Israel and Hamas.
“We have an extension … two more days,” Qatar’s Ambassador to the United Nations Ms. Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani told reporters after a closed-door UN Security Council meeting, saying both sides were to release more people. “This is a very positive step,” Ms. Al-Thani said.
A new list of captives, who are anticipated to be released later in the day, has been received, according to Israel’s Army Radio, which cited the prime minister’s office. However, as of early Tuesday morning, the Israeli government had not formally confirmed the truce extension.
According to Israeli statements, the ceasefire will be extended by one day for each of the ten captives that Hamas releases.
Israel announced on Monday that 11 Israelis had been brought back to the nation from the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of Israeli and foreign prisoners that Hamas had released under the terms of the truce since Friday to 69.
There have now been 150 Palestinians released by the Israel Prison Service since Friday. On Monday, 33 more Palestinian inmates were freed from Israel’s Ofer prison in the West Bank and from a detention center in Jerusalem.
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