2023-12-01T04:34:19+00:00
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/ The American Wall Street Journal quoted Egyptian officials as saying that Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the temporary truce for an eighth day, which would include the release of more Israeli hostages, in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees.
There has been no comment yet from Israel or Hamas.
Intensive contacts and efforts are underway to extend the current truce into longer ones. Among these efforts is a visit by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Tel Aviv, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken also met in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The US Secretary of State called for an additional extension of the temporary truce in the war between Israel and Hamas, which is scheduled to end on Friday morning, completing its seventh day.
Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv, “It is clear that we want this path to move forward… We want an eighth day and more.”
The American official called on Israel to ensure the establishment of “safe” areas for Palestinian civilians, before resuming “major military operations” in the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian and Qatari efforts are also continuing to extend the truce for additional periods. The White House confirmed, on Thursday evening, that it is continuing its efforts with Qatar and Egypt to extend the humanitarian truce in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, expressing its hope that more prisoners will be released.
On Thursday, the exchange included 10 Israelis in exchange for the release of 30 Palestinians, including 8 female prisoners and 22 Palestinian boys and children, in conjunction with the continued entry of fuel and aid trucks to the Palestinians through the Rafah crossing.