A spokesperson from the Qatari foreign ministry announced that the ceasefire, initially set to expire on Tuesday morning, will be extended by “two days.”
Qatar and Hamas jointly declared the two-day extension of the provisional ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. An official from the White House confirmed the agreement to NBC News.
The interim ceasefire, initially scheduled to conclude on Tuesday, November 28, at 5:00 a.m. (UK time), will now continue for an additional two days, according to Dr. Majed al Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry. He stated on X (formerly Twitter): “The State of Qatar announces that an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for an additional two days as part of the ongoing mediation.”
Hamas has also verified the truce, while Israel has not stated as of yet.
A statement from the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas read, “With the brothers in Qatar and Egypt, an extension of the temporary humanitarian ceasefire for an additional two days has been agreed upon, under the same conditions as the previous ceasefire.”
Hamas had advocated for the ceasefire extension, emphasizing “serious efforts” to increase the number of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel. The accord allows Hamas to release 50 hostages and Israel to release 150 Palestinian inmates over four days.
Previously, Israel had indicated that the agreement permits an additional day of armistice for every ten successfully liberated hostages.
Diaa Rashwan, the director of the Egyptian State Information Service involved in mediation, stated that the extension agreement conditions the release of sixty Palestinian prisoners and twenty Israeli hostages.
Hostage Exchange and IDF Statement
On Monday night, Israeli special forces soldiers followed eleven more Hamas hostages to the Red Cross on Israeli soil. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated, “Our forces will accompany them until they are reunited with their families, following an initial medical evaluation of their health.”
In return, Qatari officials state that 33 Palestinian detainees are to be released.
Completion of Exchange and Humanitarian Implications
Upon completion of the exchange, Israel will have liberated 150 Palestinian prisoners, and Hamas will have released 51 Israeli hostages. Additionally, Hamas has secured the release of one Filipino national and seventeen Thai nationals.
The temporary ceasefire has also granted Gaza access to humanitarian assistance. A UN spokeswoman hoped the interim armistice would become a permanent humanitarian pause. Stephane Dujarric, speaking for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, underlined Gaza’s escalating daily humanitarian crisis.
A comprehensive humanitarian armistice that benefits Gaza, Israel, and the region requires more discussion.
