Israel and Hamas were discussing through mediators the possibility of extending the Gaza truce on Wednesday as the six-day pause neared its end. The two sides had only a few hours left to reach an agreement before the fighting was scheduled to resume.
Fifty-four days since the beginning of the conflict, over 150 Israeli hostages are still held in Gaza. A Palestinian official informed Reuters that while both sides expressed a willingness to prolong the ceasefire, no formal agreement had been reached yet.
Release of hostages and prisoners: Israeli families have been informed of the last group of hostages to be released under the current agreement. Additionally, 30 Palestinian prisoners are scheduled for release on the truce’s sixth day.
As reported by the Times of Israel, 31 children held by Gaza-based militants were released as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement with Hamas. However, nine children still remained in the Strip.
Negotiators at work to extend ceasefire: According to analysts cited by Al Jazeera, the ceasefire negotiations have entered a “pragmatic” phase involving various mediators and stakeholders.
There are indications that Hamas may be signaling a willingness to extend the cessation of hostilities. Egyptian and Qatari officials were in contact to potentially extend the ceasefire for an additional two days.
A source with close ties to Hamas indicated that the group was open to extending the ceasefire for an additional four days, as reported by AFP news agency. The source stated that Hamas had informed mediators of its willingness to do so, conditional upon the continued release of Israeli prisoners in accordance with the existing ceasefire terms.
International reactions: President Joe Biden has urged an end to the fighting and criticized Hamas, emphasizing the importance of peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.
Speaking at a news conference in Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States was sending humanitarian aid to Gaza to ensure that its residents had the necessary support to survive. He expressed the intention to focus on extending the ceasefire in the coming days to secure the release of more hostages and increase humanitarian assistance.
Hamas extended an invitation to Elon Musk to personally witness the extent of the violence and devastation inflicted upon the Gaza Strip as a result of the war. A senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, in a press conference in Beirut, urged Musk to also visit Palestine to gain a more comprehensive perspective on the situation.
Market reactions: The Israeli shekel continued to strengthen to 3.63 against the dollar, hitting levels last seen on Aug. 10. Domestic Israeli stocks, as represented by the Tel Aviv 125 index, rose 1% on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the iShares MSCI Israel ETF EIS rallied 1.2%.
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