An agreement has been reached to extend the truce between Israel and Hamas by two days, mediator Qatar said hours before the Tuesday deadline. Meanwhile, the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation persists in Gaza.
Extension of the Truce
“The Palestinian and Israeli sides have reached an agreement to extend the humanitarian pause in Gaza for two additional days under the same conditions,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. Militant group Hamas also confirmed the extension, and Israeli media reported the government had received a new list of 10 more hostages who would be freed. However, there was no official word from Israel.
The extension of the truce, which had been scheduled to end at 7:00 AM (0500 GMT), was welcomed internationally.
UN Secretary General António Guterres called it “a glimpse of hope and humanity in the middle of the darkness of war.”
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Exchange of Israeli Hostages for Palestinian Prisoners
The news of the extension came as 11 more hostages were freed from Gaza overnight and another 33 Palestinian prisoners released, the last exchange under the existing deal. Most of the group are dual nationals, with Argentinians, Germans, and French among those released, and all 11 were from the Nir Oz kibbutz, the community said.
In all, 50 Israeli hostages have been released under the truce deal, in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, with another 19 hostages freed under separate agreements, including Thai workers and a dual Russian-Israeli citizen.
Israel views the truce as temporary to secure hostage releases and plans to continue its war, with the government agreeing to an $8.2 billion war budget that will now go to parliament.
‘Catastrophic’
Inside Gaza, the Health Ministry said no fuel had arrived for generators at hospitals in the territory’s north, despite the truce.
UN official Tor Wennesland warned the humanitarian situation “remains catastrophic.”
It “requires the urgent entry of additional aid and supplies in a smooth, predictable and continuous manner to alleviate the unbearable suffering of Palestinians in Gaza,” the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process said.
The truce has allowed residents who fled fighting in northern Gaza to return to Gaza City, which has been ravaged by relentless Israeli bombardment.
A limited number of Palestinians have been airlifted to the United Arab Emirates for treatment after crossing from Gaza to Egypt, including seven-year-old Yussef, who gnawed on his nails next to his mother Nouzha Fawzi.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
