Hamas and Israel to Prolong Truce for an Additional Day

On Thursday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari announced that Hamas and Israel have agreed to prolong the humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip for an additional day.

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The cessation of all military activities will continue, he said and confirmed that efforts aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire in Gaza were ongoing.

On late Wednesday night, the Israeli government confirmed that the sixth batch of hostages released from the Gaza Strip by Hamas has returned to Israel.

The 16 hostages, including 12 Israelis and four Thai nationals, will undergo a medical examination before being escorted to hospitals to reunite with their families.

More than 200 hostages were taken to Gaza by Hamas militants during their Oct. 7 surprise military operation on Israel, which retaliated by launching deadly airstrikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has insisted that all women and children be released under the framework of the current ceasefire deal, which provided for 50 Israelis to be freed in the first four days of the truce, and the release of 10 Israeli captives for an extra day's pause.

On Wednesday, amid talks to extend the ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that his country will resume the military campaign to eradicate Hamas.

"There is no situation in which we do not go back to fighting until the end. This is my policy," he said, adding that the entire security cabinet and government, the soldiers, and the Israeli people are all "behind it."

"From the start of the war, I set three goals: eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza will never again go back to being a threat to the State of Israel. These three goals still stand," Netanyahu stressed.