Hamas has indicated a desire for a new ceasefire arrangement with Israel, proposing an expansion of the criteria for the release of hostages beyond the initially liberated women and children from the Gaza Strip.
Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas official, articulated these intentions on Monday, suggesting a potential reassessment of the terms of the ceasefire. In an interview with Al Jazeera, al-Hayya stated, “We hope the Occupation (Israel) abides by the agreement in the next two days because we are seeking a new agreement, besides women and children, whereby other categories that we have that we can swap.”
This proposed expansion would involve prolonging the timeframe for the ongoing exchange of individuals.
In response, Israel has displayed indications of considering alterations to the ceasefire terms by broadening the list of Palestinian detainees eligible for release in exchange for hostages.
Initially, under the Qatari and Egyptian-mediated deal established last week, Hamas released 50 Israeli women and children hostages, and in return, Israel released 150 Palestinian detainees. The agreement allowed for the potential doubling of these numbers if the truce extended for five days. Israel had initially pre-approved 300 Palestinian women and teenage male detainees for potential release.
Late on Monday, the Israeli cabinet augmented this roster by including 50 female prisoners in the list of those eligible for release, as confirmed by officials.
As part of the ongoing negotiations, the original four-day truce was extended by an additional two days on Monday, providing more time for discussions and potential adjustments to the terms of the agreement.
Meanwhile, Qatar announced that an agreement has been reached to extend the truce between Israeli and Hamas forces in Gaza by two days. The extension is part of ongoing negotiations facilitated by Qatar and Egypt. Hamas seeks a four-day extension, while Israel prefers day-by-day extensions tied to the release of hostages.
A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said in a post on social media platform X, “An agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip.”
Hamas announced a two-day extension to the truce with Qatar and Egypt, who are facilitating negotiations. Israel has not immediately commented. Egyptian, Qatari, and US negotiators are working on extending the four-day truce, with Hamas seeking a four-day extension and Israel preferring day-by-day extensions tied to the release of hostages.
Israel’s condition involves an extra day of truce for every additional 10 hostages freed, releasing three times the number of Palestinians each time, with a cap of five additional days. Both sides have shown a positive attitude, but a final decision hasn’t been reached.
On Sunday, Hamas released 17 people, and Israel freed 39 teenage Palestinian prisoners, bringing the total to 117 Palestinians released under the truce. The current deal requires Hamas to release a total of 50 Israeli women and children, leaving 11 to be freed on Monday, with no limit on the release of foreigners.
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