US and Qatari Officials Report Israel and Hamas Agree to Extend Gaza Ceasefire by Two Days
US and Qatari officials have confirmed that Israeli and Hamas forces will pause fighting in the Gaza Strip for two more days past Monday.
Israel and Hamas will halt their fighting in the Gaza Strip for two more days past Monday, said the government of Qatar, which has presented itself as a mediator between the belligerents.
“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,” Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on Monday morning.
The Qatari official’s announcement has been confirmed by John Kirby, the chief spokesperson for the White House’s National Security Council.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday afternoon, Mr. Kirby said President Joe Biden and “his entire national security team” will “obviously stay engaged” to implement the extension of the original Israel–Hamas agreement, “as well as efforts to extend the pause even from there.” The extension, according to Mr. Kirby, will “result in the release of 20 more individuals, women and children.” He said, “We’d certainly like to see that extension extended even further until all the hostages are released.”
Mr. Kirby added that U.S. officials believe there are eight to nine Americans who remain in the hands of Hamas terrorists, and that Washington is not involved in determining who is released. He also stressed that the pause on fighting has allowed a “surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza,” which he said has included more than 2,000 trucks carrying supplies and tens of thousands of gallons of fuel.
When asked whether President Biden is considering putting specific conditions on aid to Israel, Mr. Kirby indicated that it’s unlikely for the Biden administration to shift its current approach. “The approach that we are taking with Israel—and quite frankly, with our partners in the region—is working,” he said. “It’s getting aid into people that need it. It’s getting a pause in the fighting. It’s getting hostages out—getting Americans out.”
While the Biden administration “welcomes” the additional two-day pause on the Gaza war, Mr. Kirby reiterated that Washington remains opposed to calling for a long-term ceasefire that would likely mean a return to the pre-Oct. 7 status quo.
A full ceasefire in Gaza, Mr. Kirby said, poses a “real risk” that Hamas, “which clearly doesn’t abide by any laws of war, would try to take advantage of any pause in fighting for their own benefit.”
Israel did not immediately comment on the extension of the temporary truce. However, the Israeli government previously expressed willingness to halt its military campaign in Gaza for up to a total of 10 days, if Hamas continues freeing some of the around 240 people it kidnapped since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
As part of the deal, 17 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were released Sunday. In exchange, Israel’s prison service said it had begun the process of releasing 39 Palestinian prisoners.
A fourth exchange is expected on Monday—the original expiration date of the temporary pause, during which a total of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed.
Hamas said it had handed over 13 Israeli hostages, three Thais, and one with Russian citizenship on Sunday.
Hamas said it had released a Russian hostage “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin” and as a show of appreciation for Moscow’s position on the war. The Russian–Israeli citizen was the first male hostage to be freed.
Ahead of the release of hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Gaza Strip to speak with the fighting forces.
“We are making every effort to return our hostages, and at the end of the day we will return every one,” he told the Israeli troops.
