Three people were killed and eight were injured after two Palestinian attackers allegedly opened fire at a bus stop during the morning rush hour at Jerusalem, Israeli police have said as reported by news agency Reuters. This comes amid an extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to allow for the release of more hostages.
“The terrorists arrived at the scene by car in the morning, armed with an M-16 rifle and a handgun. The terrorists began shooting at civilians before subsequently being killed at the scene,” the Israeli police said, as quoted by the news agency.
The one-day extension of the truce agreement would allow negotiators to continue working on deals to swap hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.
The ceasefire has allowed the delivery of essential humanitarian aid to Gaza, where a significant portion of the coastal region, with a population of 2.3 million, was devastated by Israel’s airstrikes in retaliation for the attack by Hamas militants on October 7.
According to Reuters, the Israeli military said in a statement made minutes before the temporary truce was due to expire at 0500 GMT, “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 freed 16 hostages in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday, they said in a statement that the truce would continue for a seventh day.
Ceasefire Agreement Of Israel And Gaza
According to a spokesperson from Qatar’s foreign ministry, the terms of the ceasefire would include a halt to hostilities and the entry of humanitarian aid would remain the same. Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, has played a pivotal role as a mediator between the conflicting parties.
Before the accord, both Israel and Hamas had signalled readiness to resume conflict as negotiations concerning the release of the next group of hostages encountered a deadlock.
“A short time ago, Israel was given a list of women and children in accordance with the terms of the agreement, and therefore the truce will continue,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement just as the truce was due to expire.
Earlier, Hamas had said that Israel declined to accept an additional seven women and children, as well as the remains of three other hostages, in exchange for extending the ceasefire.
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While Hamas did not disclose the identities of the deceased, they had earlier stated that a family of three Israeli hostages, including the youngest, 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, had perished during Israel’s airstrikes on the territory.
In retaliation to the October 7 attack by the militant group Hamas, during which, Israel claimed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages, Israel has declared its determination to obliterate Hamas.
Before the ceasefire agreement, Israel subjected the territory to seven weeks of bombardment, resulting in the reported death of over 15,000 Palestinians, as stated by health authorities in the Gaza strip.