Hamas on Monday stated that it had reached an agreement with Qatar and Egypt to extend the truce with Israel for two days under the same terms as the previous four-day ceasefire, news agency Reuters reported. Taking to X, Qatar’s Ministry Of Foreign Affairs spokesperson stated: “The State of Qatar announces, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip.”
The State of Qatar announces, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian pause for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip.
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) November 27, 2023
“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 informed Reuters.
Hamas has previously stated that it was compiling a fresh list of hostages held in the Gaza Strip “in order to extend the truce” with Israel, AFP reported.
The statement from Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas leader, came as talks on extending the first four-day ceasefire in violence and exchanging hostages for Palestinian detainees were ongoing.
As international pressure built for a longer break in the Gaza war, Israel said Monday it was willing to extend a truce with Hamas provided the Palestinian organisation continued to free captives.
If no extension was reached, the interim truce was set to expire at 7 a.m. (12 a.m. EST) on Tuesday, threatening a resumption to heavy violence in a war that has already claimed the lives of hundreds.
US Vice President Joe Biden, chief EU envoy Josep Borrell, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg have all joined a worldwide chorus encouraging the sides to continue their cease-fire.
According to government spokesperson Eylon Levy, Israel has placed Hamas “on notice” that a “option for an extension” of the truce is available in order to return home 50 additional Israeli captives in the coming days.
Meanwhile, a fourth trench of hostages for prisoners under that existing deal is yet to be released.