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Qatar has successfully negotiated an agreement between Israel and Hamas to extend the four-day truce between them by an additional two days, Doha's foreign ministry spokesperson said.
"The State of Qatar announces, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip," posted spokesperson Majed Al Ansari on X. This means at least ten more Israeli hostages will be released on Tuesday and that another ten will be released on Wednesday, with 30 Palestinian prisoners to be freed by Israel on each day as well, as reported by The Times of Israel. There is no immediate Israeli confirmation of the truce extension but Hamas issues its own statement confirming as much, crediting the Qatari and Egyptian mediation efforts, it added. As the deal appears to be back on track following an earlier dispute, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office has announced that Israeli authorities have informed the families of the hostages set to be released in the following hours. An Israeli official told The Times of Israel earlier that Hamas was trying to separate mothers from their children in today's release, which Israel appears to have succeeded in blocking. Hebrew media reports that 11 Israeli hostages will be released shortly -- nine children and two women, who are the mothers of some of the children. There has not been an official Israeli statement confirming these numbers. Hebrew media also reported that the hostages being released are from Kibbutz Nir Oz, the community that was hardest hit during the October 7 massacre. As the truce enters its fourth day, 40 hostages Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas, with 13 on Friday, 13 on Saturday, and 14 on Sunday, CNN reported. Released individuals include 21 children aged 18 or younger, 11 adult women, seven women aged 65 or older, and Roni Krivoy, an Israeli-Russian man released as a special case outside the deal parameters. Besides 18 foreign nationals, including 17 Thai nationals and 1 Filipino citizen, were freed from Gaza in separate negotiations, not covered by the Israel-Hamas deal. 117 women and children released from Israeli prisons, with 39 on Friday, 39 on Saturday, and 39 on Sunday. Released individuals include 28 adult women, two teenage girls, and 87 male teens aged 18 and younger. Of the Palestinian prisoners released, 41 had been tried and sentenced, and 76 were in administrative detention. The original Israel-Hamas deal stipulates that the truce will continue for four days as long as Hamas releases at least 10 Israeli hostages each day. The situation remains fluid, with the White House closely monitoring developments, CNN reported. (ANI)
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