Israel, Hamas to extend ceasefire for two more days

A helicopter carrying hostages released from the Gaza Strip. Pics/AP

Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their cease-fire for two more days past Monday, the Qatari government said, bringing the prospect of a longer halt to their deadliest and most destructive war and further exchanges of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The announcement, made by Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al Ansary in a post on X, came on the final day of the original four-day truce between the warring sides. A fourth swap of hostages for prisoners under that deal was expected later Monday. Qatar, along with the US and Egypt, has been the key mediator in the ongoing conflict between.

Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released. After the Qatari announcement, Hamas confirmed it had agreed to a two-day extension "under the same terms."

A crowd surrounds a bus carrying Palestinians prisoners released from Israeli jails

But Israel also says it remains committed to crushing Hamas' military capabilities and ending its 16-year rule over Gaza. That would likely mean expanding its ground offensive from devastated northern Gaza to the south, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have crammed into UN shelters, and where dire conditions persist.

The release of dozens of people who were among the roughly 240 captured by Hamas in its wide-ranging Oct ober 7 attack into southern Israel that ignited the war has rallied Israelis behind calls to return the rest of them. Sixty-two hostages have been released.

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Israel concluded the third phase of release of security prisoners, as part of the "Heaven's Doors" operation to return home Israeli hostages during the four-day Gaza ceasefire. On Sunday evening, 39 security prisoners were released from a number of Israeli prisons, accompanied by guards and the Police.

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Three Palestinian college students were shot in Burlington City, Vermont, US. They were walking on Prospect Street after visiting a relative in Burlington when "they were confronted by a white man with a handgun." One of them has sustained serious injuries.

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No of hostages Hamas had taken

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