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.
Source:Aljazeera
