A four-day truce between Israel and Hamas has been extended by 48 hours.<\/p>\n
Israeli government had offered to add an extra day in truce if Hamas releases additional 10 hostages each day in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinians detained in its prisons.<\/p>\n
Both sides agreed to a Qatar-brokered deal, under which, three Palestinian prisoners are being released in exchange for every Israeli captive.<\/p>\n
The latest batch of 11 hostages who were let go by Hamas have returned to Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces.<\/p>\n
With this, the Gaza militant group has released a total of 69 hostages, while Israel freed 150 Palestinians detainees, reports say. Most of them are women and children.<\/p>\n
Out of 259 hostages Hamas abducted in a surprise attack carried out in Israeli cities on October 7, around 190 people are still held in captivity. Around 1,200 people, mostly Israelis, were killed in the militant attack across the border, while around 14,500 people lost their lives in Gaza in retaliatory attacks by Israel Defense Forces.<\/p>\n
A four-day truce between Israel and Hamas had expired on Monday. <\/p>\n
With the extended pause in fighting, more trucks carrying humanitarian aid are entering Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, according to reports.<\/p>\n
The humanitarian pause has enabled a surge in additional humanitarian assistance to thousands of civilians who are suffering across the Gaza strip. <\/p>\n
“We are taking full advantage of the pause in fighting to increase the amount of humanitarian aid moving into Gaza, and we will continue our efforts to build a future of peace and dignity for the Palestinian people,” President Joe Biden said in a statement on the extension of truce in Gaza. <\/p>\n
He vowed that Washington will not stop until all of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists are released. <\/p>\n
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it has planned to send additional four flights carrying humanitarian supplies to Gaza via Egypt this week. <\/p>\n