A vehicle carrying hostages released from the Gaza Strip arrives at a hospital in Ramat Gan, Israel, Nov. 26, 2023. (JINI via Xinhua)
The temporary ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is about to end on Monday night. Hamas is hoping to extend the agreement in order to secure the release of more Palestinians jailed in Israel.
GAZA/JERUSALEM, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Hamas is seeking to extend its four-day truce with Israel, local media reported Sunday, citing a statement from Hamas.
The temporary ceasefire agreement is about to end on Monday night. Hamas is hoping to extend the agreement in order to secure the release of more Palestinians jailed in Israel.
The four-day ceasefire in Gaza entailed an increased flow of aid trucks carrying relief supplies and fuel into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas promised to release a total of 50 hostages, mostly women and minors. It has just handed over a third batch of Israeli hostages to the Red Cross on the third day of the temporary truce, including 14 Israelis and three foreign nationals.
Israel promised to free some 150 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons in exchange. A Xinhua reporter stationed in Ramallah confirmed that 39 released Palestinians have been transferred in the third batch, all of whom are children, via buses on Sunday.
A bus transferring Palestinian prisoners arrives in the West Bank city of Al-Bireh, Nov. 26, 2023. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)
At the same time, mediation efforts have been intensified to extend the current ceasefire.
"Qatar and Egypt conveyed a draft agreement to Israel and Hamas on extending the ceasefire due to expire Monday and facilitating a larger prisoner swap between the two warring sides," the sources, who wished to remain anonymous, told Xinhua.
The discussions involved the release of 40 to 50 captives from Gaza, coupled with increased humanitarian aid flowing into the strip to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, the sources said.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed issues concerning hostage release and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
In a telephone conversation, Biden welcomed the release of hostages by Hamas over the past three days, and the two agreed to continue supporting the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
The two leaders discussed the pause in fighting and much needed additional humanitarian assistance to Gaza, read the White House statement.
Russia also welcomes the truce between the two, but advocates a complete ceasefire, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said on Monday.
"As for the truce, we welcome it. This is, of course, not what is needed in this situation. We naturally advocate a complete cessation of hostilities and the establishment of humanitarian pauses," Viktorov said. ■
