Israel and Hamas agree to extend ceasefire

Israel and Hamas - the radical Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - agreed on Monday to extend the ceasefire for two more days, the Qatari government announced.

A four-day ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Hamas was set to expire today. Under that agreement, a fourth group of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip is expected to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails this afternoon.

On Monday afternoon, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Majid Al Ansary, announced on the X social network about the continuation of this ceasefire for two more days.

Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, are the main mediators of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has said it will extend the ceasefire for an additional day for every 10 additional hostages released.

After Qatar's announcement, Hamas confirmed that it has agreed to extend the ceasefire for two more days "under the same conditions".

However, Israel says it is committed to destroying Hamas and ending its 16-year rule in the Gaza Strip after the radical group's fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7.

So far, 58 hostages have been released during the current ceasefire, including 39 Israelis. Before the ceasefire, four hostages were released, another was rescued and two more were found dead in Gaza.

Israel has released 117 Palestinians from its prisons during the four days of the ceasefire.

The truce that began Friday morning brought some respite to 2.3 million Palestinians from relentless Israeli bombardment that has killed thousands and flattened residential buildings, forcing three-quarters of the population to flee their homes. himself.

The war broke out on October 7, when Hamas fighters in Gaza breached border barriers and entered southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 240 others, including women, children and the elderly. .

Israel immediately declared war, carrying out weeks of bombing and launching a ground offensive that killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory. About two thirds of those killed in Gaza were women and minors./rel