Foreign media outlets including Reuters reported on the 27th (local time) that Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas agreed to extend the temporary ceasefire by two days.
Majid Al Ansari, spokesman for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who has been mediating the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations between the two sides, said through social networking service (SNS) ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) on this day, “We agreed to extend the humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for two more days.” and announced. As a result, the four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began at 7 a.m. on the 24th, will continue until the morning of the 30th.
Hamas also confirmed that it had reached an agreement with mediators Qatar and Egypt to extend the ceasefire period by two more days. However, Israel has not yet officially confirmed it. “We welcome Qatar’s announcement that the ceasefire will be extended,” said John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House’s National Security Council (NSC), adding that 20 Israeli women and children hostages will be released during the extended ceasefire period.
Previously, Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary ceasefire for four days starting on the 24th and to exchange 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas released a total of 58 of the 240 hostages, including 39 Israelis and 19 foreigners, over the course of three days until the 26th. Israel also released 117 imprisoned Palestinians. The two sides once had differences of opinion over the fourth release list, but reached an amicable agreement on the 27th. Hamas released 11 foreign hostages that day, and Israel also released 33 Palestinian prisoners.
According to an Israeli government spokesman, 184 hostages remain in Gaza. Of these, 14 are foreigners, and 80 of the remaining 170 Israelis have dual citizenship. As the ceasefire has been extended by two days, Hamas plans to release 20 Israeli hostages, and Israel plans to release 60 Palestinian prisoners in turn.
Kim So-young,
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.