Israel and Hamas agree to extend truce for seventh day

The truce between Israel and Hamas has been extended for a seventh day, sources from both sides announced just minutes before the agreement was set to expire.

Israel’s military said on Thursday that the temporary pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip will continue “in light of the mediators’ efforts to continue the process of releasing hostages, and subject to the terms of the agreement”.

In a separate statement, Hamas said an agreement has been reached to extend the temporary ceasefire, which initially began on Friday.

The truce will be extended for another 24 hours.

Qatar, which has been mediating between the two sides, said the agreement was being extended under the same terms as in the past, under which Hamas has released 10 Israeli hostages per day in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners.

Until the last hour, the prospect of an extension was in question, after the two sides failed to agree on the new list of Israelis to be released from Gaza on Thursday.

The extension was delayed right up until the deadline as Hamas said Israel rejected a proposed list that included seven living captives and the remains of three hostages who the group said were killed in previous Israeli airstrikes. Israel later said Hamas submitted an improved list, paving the way for the extension.

The talks between the two sides appear to be growing tougher as most of the women and children held by Hamas are freed, and the Palestinian group is expected to seek greater releases in return for freeing men and soldiers.

“There are only so many civilian hostages left,” Mohamed Elmasry, an analyst with the Doha Institute of Graduate Studies, to media.”The longer this extends, the more difficult this will be for Hamas to produce civilian hostages because they have a very limited number of them.”