QATARI AND EGYPTIAN NEGOTIATORS FILMING TRUCE EXTENSION
After the release and landing of a helicopter with Israeli hostages by Hamas at the Sheba Medical Centre, Qatari and Egyptian negotiators are working on brokering a new two-day extension to the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service said in a statement, Egypt’s State Information Service.
Egypt’s Efforts in Extending the Truce
An official statement said, “There are ongoing Egyptian-Qatari contacts to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days, in an effort to cease fire, release more prisoners and detainees, and bring more humanitarian and relief aid into the Gaza Strip.”
It further stated, “The intense Egyptian-Qatari efforts have resulted in overcoming many obstacles, which was facing the implementation of the armistice agreement today.”
The announcement comes on the heels of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel, as a shooting by Palestinian gunmen in West Jerusalem killed at least three people.
Israel and Hamas had agreed to extend their cease-fire by at least a further 24 hours on Thursday morning, just minutes before the fragile truce hit its deadline.
The pause in fighting, now in its seventh day, has seen almost 100 hostages released from Hamas’ captivity in Gaza — just over 70 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals, mostly Thai agricultural workers — and 210 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli detention.
Cease-fire Extension Agreement Approaching Deadline
Israel and Hamas had also agreed to continue the truce for another day under the same conditions, including a ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted the continuation of humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza under the terms of the cease-fire.
The U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed that one of the freed hostages was a dual Israeli-American national.
General Impact of the Truce
The cease-fire remained a vital focal point in Blinken’s visit to Israel. The U.S. Secretary of State urged the need to protect civilians in Gaza, which has been under severe attack by Israeli bombardment for seven weeks.
This visit by Blinken comes at a turbulent time, coinciding with a violent attack by two Palestinian men at a bus stop at the entrance to West Jerusalem, which killed at least three people and wounded a further eight.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he would brief the U.S.’s chief diplomat on the “next phase” of the war with Hamas.
It is clear that both sides of the conflict remain firm in their positions. Netanyahu has emphasized the need to continue the war in Gaza, as he believes it is the only viable way to achieve Israel’s goal of “eliminating Hamas.”
The seven-week-old conflict has taken a significant human toll, killing over 14,500 people in the besieged Gaza Strip. It has also seen multiple terrorist attacks leading to significant fatalities, including over 200 hostages taken into Gaza.
