Hamas Seeks Truce Extension With Israel As Gaza Ceasefire Nears End

Palestinian militant group Hamas has sought an extension of the truce with Israel with some conditions, as the deadline for the temporary ceasefire nears.

Israel-Hamas Truce: As the deadline nears for the four-day Israel-Hamas temporary truce, the Palestinian militant group has said the deal can be extended only if serious efforts are made to increase the number of Palestinian detainees in Israel, reported Reuters. This comes after Hamas released 58 hostages it had held captive since the Oct 7 attack on Israel. The announcement was made in a statement on Sunday.

Hamas freed 25 hostages on the first day of the true, 17 on the second day and 17 on the third day. This includes people of foreign nationals as well, but mostly Thais, according to a report in The Associated Press.

According to an official, Israel and Hamas have raised concerns over the list of hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released on the last day of the four-day truce i.e. Monday, reported Reuters. It added that Israeli previously offered to agree to an additional day for freeing each additional 10 hostages and to release three times the number of Palestinian prisoners each time.

"There is a slight issue with today’s lists. The Qataris are working with both sides to resolve it and avoid delays," the official briefed on the matter said, quoted Reuters. The agency cited the official as saying that Qatari mediators are working with both sides to resolve the issue.

The truce deal was brokered by Qatar and Egypt pausing the conflict for the very first time in seven long weeks. More than 15,000 people in Gaza have so far died in Israel's counter-offensive against Hamas in the enclave.

President Joe Biden earlier said that on the third day of a truce, Hamas freed a four-year-old American girl, 13 Israeli captives, three Thais, and one Russian citizen, news agency Reuters reported. 

Earlier in a post on X,  Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari stated: "In implementation of the commitments of the third day of the humanitarian truce agreement, 39 Palestinian civilians will be released in exchange for the release of 13 Israeli civilians from Gaza, in addition to a Russian national and 3 Thais who have already been handed over to the ICRC."

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden backed the extension of the temporary four-day truce as agreed upon by Israel and Hamas as more hostages were released on Day 3. Thirteen Israelis, including a four-year-old Americal-Israeli girl and three foreigners, were freed from Gaza, Hamas said, whereas 39 Palestinian prisoners were freed by Israel.