Gaza Truce Close to Extension, Egyptian Sources Say

With the four-day Gaza truce between Israel and Hamas set to end on Monday night, Egyptian officials have suggested that the agreement for a two-day extension is within reach.

The possibility of extending the truce was on the table from the start, as Israeli officials said they’d agree to an extra day of truce for each 10 Israeli hostages released by Hamas in addition to the promised 50, for a maximum of five days. At the same time, they would free more Palestinian prisoners. Both Israel and Hamas have released statements saying they’re be willing to extend the truce.

US President Joe Biden is a strong proponent for an extension of the truce, saying it is necessary in order to free as many hostages as possible while getting more humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians. On Sunday he stated, “To keep this pause in fighting going beyond tomorrow is our goal – so that we can continue to see more hostages come out and surge more humanitarian relief to those in need.”

An Israeli government spokesperson said the total number of hostages captured in 7 October attack on Israel and still held in Gaza on Monday was 184, including 14 foreigners and 80 Israelis with dual nationality. Hamas has released 58 hostages since Friday, both Israeli and foreign. Israel has in turn released a total of 117 Palestinian prisoners in the same period of time. Of these, many are teenagers who were held in administrative detention.

Monday Delay

Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem explains, “Administrative detention is incarceration without trial or charge, alleging that a person plans to commit a future offense. It has no time limit, and the evidence on which it is based is not disclosed. Israel employs this measure extensively and routinely, and has used it to hold thousands of Palestinians for lengthy periods of time.

“While detention orders are formally reviewed, this is merely a semblance of judicial oversight, as detainees cannot reasonably mount a defense against undisclosed allegations. Nevertheless, courts uphold the vast majority of orders.”

As background talks for an extension of the truce continue, hostage release has hit a snag on Monday over disagreements concerning a list of Israeli hostages to release. Reportedly, Hamas relesed a young Israeli girl on Sunday while still holding her mother captive, and Israel has demanded the mother’s release today. Hamas has also reported that women set to be released from Israeli prisons have remained captive, and admitted that they are currently unable to account for 40 hostages who are in the hands of other militant groups such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

As of Monday afternoon, the negotiations about hostages due for release are reportedly near complete. Despite calls for a complete ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already reiterated that the war – which has so far killed an estimated 14,500 people in the Gaza Strip and displaced nearly 80 percent of its population according to the United Nations – is far from over.

“We are at war – and we will continue the war until we achieve all our goals,” he wrote. “Eliminate Hamas, return all our abductees and missing persons and ensure that there will be no element in Gaza that threatens Israel.”