President Biden has said the U.S. will push for a longer pause in hostilities.
Today marks the fourth and possibly final day of the truce between Israel and Hamas — but both sides have indicated a willingness to extend the pause. Here’s what we know so far.
Seeking an extension
On Sunday, Hamas responded to an earlier message from the Israeli government, saying that it’d seek to extend the ceasefire after Monday. “The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas seeks to extend the truce after the 4-day period ends, through serious efforts to increase the number of those released from imprisonment as stipulated in the humanitarian cease-fire agreement,” the group said in a statement.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video suggesting he’d be willing to cooperate if it led to more hostages being released. The truce has lasted so far on the basis that for each day hostilities are paused, at least 10 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. are set free.
President Biden has said the U.S. will push for a longer extension, to allow for the release of more hostages, and more aid into Gaza. The existing deal, which the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt negotiated over the course of several weeks, included an allowance of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The president said on Sunday that he and Netanyahu are “personally engaged to see that this deal is fully implemented and work to extend the deal, as well. For weeks I’ve been advocating the pause in the fighting for two purposes: to increase the assistance getting in to the Gaza civilians who need help, and to facilitate the release of hostages.”
Families of released hostages have emotional reunions
Hamas released 58 hostages over the first three days of the truce, in exchange for 117 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Nine-year-old Ohad Munder was released alongside his mother and grandmother on the first day of the truce, and reunited with his father and brother at a medical center in Israel.
Among those released Saturday was nine-year-old Emily Hand, whose father Thomas initially believed had been killed by Hamas. And American-Israeli Abigail Eden, who turned four on Friday, was among the 17 hostages released yesterday.
