Hamas and Qatar announced on Monday the extension of the truce in Gaza by 48 hours, subject to new releases of hostages held by terrorists and prisoners held in Israeli prisons. Israel did not immediately confirm this extension. Hamas, which took power in the Gaza Strip in 2007, had earlier indicated that it was preparing a new list of hostages to be released in order to extend the truce in fighting with Israel.
“An extra day of break”
This truce, which was initially due to end on Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT), also allowed the entry of hundreds of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, besieged and devastated by seven weeks of Israeli bombings in retaliation for the bloody attack launched by Hamas against Israel on October 7. After American President Joe Biden, the European Union and NATO called for its extension. Additional respite would make it possible “to provide more aid to populations in great need and to obtain the release of other hostages” in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, underlined NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg .
Israel offered Hamas an “option” on Monday to extend the truce and “receive 50 additional hostages”, according to a government spokesperson. The release of a greater number of hostages is forcefully demanded by Israeli public opinion, traumatized by the Hamas attack. The initial agreement provided for a four-day truce, the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt, as well as the release of a total of 50 hostages kidnapped on October 7 and 150 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Israel said that beyond the four days, the release of “ten additional hostages” – compared to 30 prisoners – would lead to “an additional day of break”.
“Other hostages released”
“There are provisions for the release of ten more hostages every day and that is a blessing,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday after an interview with Joe Biden. “But I also told the president that we will, after the agreement, return to our objective: to eliminate Hamas and ensure that the Gaza Strip is no longer what it was,” added Benjamin Netanyahu, who must ask the government on Monday for a “war” budget of 30 billion shekels (7.3 billion euros).
The American president said on Sunday that his objective was “to ensure that this pause continues (…) so that we can see other hostages released and more humanitarian aid” delivered to the Gaza Strip. The head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, for his part called for a “lasting” truce with a view to working on a “political solution” to the conflict. The families of Israeli hostages who are to be released Monday evening have been informed, the Prime Minister’s Office said, after a day of intense negotiations.
Since Friday, 39 Israeli hostages have been released as part of the deal, along with 117 Palestinians held by Israel, at a ratio of one hostage to three prisoners. In addition, 19 hostages were released without agreement, the majority of them Thais who worked in Israel. Among the hostages released on Sunday was a four-year-old girl with American nationality, named Abigail. According to a senior American official, his mother was murdered before his eyes during the Hamas attack. Her father tried to protect her before being killed in turn. Abigail then fled to neighbors, where she was taken hostage. Abigail “no longer has parents, but she has a whole country that hugs her. We will take good care of her,” promised Benjamin Netanyahu.