Israel-Hamas ceasefire extended for 48 hours with Qatar's aid
3:53 PM EST, November 28, 2023
Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared late Monday afternoon that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will extend by another two days. Qatar, in collaboration with Egypt and the United States, has been mediating this conflict to aid in peace negotiations.
Madjid al-Ansari, spokesperson of Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced on platform X that, "An agreement assigning an additional two days to the ongoing humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, has certainly been reached."
According to Reuters, Hamas has also approved the two-day extension of the ceasefire. Citing a Hamas official, the report says: "An agreement to lengthen the temporary humanitarian ceasefire for two more days has been reached with our counterparts in Qatar and Egypt, adhering to the same terms firmed during the previous ceasefire".
A new list of hostages being prepared
AFP discloses that Osama Hamdan, Hamas' representative in Lebanon and member of its political bureau, announced in his statement that his faction is curating a new list of hostages to exit the Gaza Strip. This action corresponds to the extended ceasefire and is in reciprocation for the liberation of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Egyptian State Information Service's head, Diaa Rashwan, stated earlier on Monday that the two-day extension of the ceasefire encompasses arrangements to release 20 Israeli hostages in exchange for 60 Palestinian prisoners.
Ceasefire extended by 48 hours
The present ceasefire commenced on Friday, with its expiration due on Tuesday at 1:00 AM Eastern Time. As an element of this ceasefire, the planned release of 50 Israeli hostages in trade for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons has been made.
From Friday to Sunday, three rounds of hostage-prisoner exchanges transpired. The exchanges resulted in the release of a total of 39 Israelis or dual nationals and 19 foreigners by Hamas. Meanwhile, 117 Palestinian women and teenagers were liberated from Israeli prisons.
The Times of Israel shares that Israel received a list of hostages scheduled for release from the Gaza Strip on Monday as part of the fourth round of exchange. Information from Israeli media includes 11 names on this list.
