Israel, Hamas agree to extend truce for seventh day

JERUSALEM: Israel and Hamas struck a last-minute agreement on Thursday to extend their six-day ceasefire by one more day to allow negotiators to keep working on deals to swap hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.

The truce has allowed much needed humanitarian aid into Gaza after the coastal was reduced to wasteland by Israel’s bombardment.

“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,” the Israeli military said in a statement, released minutes before the temporary truce was due to expire at 0500 GMT.

Hamas, which freed 16 hostages in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday, said in a statement the truce would continue for a seventh day.

The conditions of the ceasefire, including the halt of hostilities and the entry of humanitarian aid, remain the same, according to a Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson. Qatar has been a key mediator between the warring sides, along with Egypt and the United States.

Before the agreement, both Israel and Hamas had said they were preparing to resume fighting as negotiations over the next batch of hostages to be released hit an impasse.

“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.

Hamas earlier said Israel had refused to receive a further seven women and children and the bodies of three other hostages in exchange for extending the truce.

Hamas did not name those killed but had said a family of three Israeli hostages, including the youngest hostage, 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, had died during Israel’s bombardment of the enclave.

Before the truce, Israel bombarded the territory for seven weeks and killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the coastal strip.

US  Secretary of State Antony Blinken had arrived in Tel Aviv earlier on Thursday, his third trip to the region since the October 7 attack, to discuss extending the pause in fighting, humanitarian aid and the exchange of more hostages.

Ninety-seven hostages have been freed since the start of the truce. The Israeli military says 145 hostages remain in Gaza. On Wednesday night, two Russian citizens and four Thai citizens were released outside the framework of the agreement while the 10 Israeli citizens freed included five dual nationals, officials said. They were a Dutch dual citizen, who is also a minor, three German dual citizens and one US dual citizen.

US President Joe Biden was determined to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas after American Liat Beinin was freed, the White House said in a statement.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the Gaza Strip was in the midst of an “epic humanitarian catastrophe,” and called for a ceasefire to replace the temporary truce.