Israel-Hamas truce extended by two days as fears violence will flare up once lifted soar
A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been extended by two days, said the Qatari government while more hostages were due to be freed.
A truce between Israel and Hamas has been extended by two days, according to a Qatari government spokesperson.
Dr. Majed Al Ansari posted on X (formerly Twitter): "The State of Qatar announces, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian pause for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip."
Hamas also confirmed it had agreed to extend the pause in the fighting, however, Israel has so far not commented on the news.
A Hamas statement read: "The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces that it has been agreed with the brothers in Qatar and Egypt to extend the temporary humanitarian truce for an additional two days under the same conditions as the previous truce."
The White House also confirmed that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to an extension of the truce without elaborating.
READ MORE: Israel and Hamas near two-day ceasefire extension as fears of flare-up mount
The truce has seen hostages released by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel with another exchange set to take place today.
Earlier today, Israel raised concerns about families being split up which is not allowed under the terms of the truce, however, the issue appears to have been resolved and more hostages were set to be released today.
The Prime Minister's Office said that the families of the hostages who would be released later have now been notified. The statement did not say how many hostages would be released.
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Meanwhile, the UN hopes that the truce will become a full-blown ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
A spokesperson for UN Chief Antonio Guterres said: "The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is getting worse by the day. The dialogue that led to the agreement must continue, resulting in a full humanitarian ceasefire, for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and the wider region."
They added: "The United Nations will continue to support these efforts in every possible way."
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