Israel and Hamas embarked on a two-day extension Tuesday to a truce that has allowed Israeli hostages to be freed from Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. Mediator Qatar and Palestinian militant group Hamas confirmed the extension and Israeli media reported the government had received a new list of 10 more hostages who would be freed.
The 7:00 am (0500 GMT) deadline for the previous pause in fighting to expire passed without incident, after 11 more Israeli hostages were freed from Gaza overnight. This was matched by Israel with the release of another 33 Palestinian prisoners — the last exchange under the initial deal.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the “a glimpse of hope and humanity in the middle of the darkness of war”. The truce paused fighting that began on October 7 when Hamas militants poured over the border into Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping dozens.
Israel’s retaliatory ground and air operation in the Gaza Strip has killed almost 15,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the territory’s Hamas government. Despite the truce extension, Israel has vowed to stick to its war aim of destroying Hamas and rescuing all 240 hostages held in the war zone.
