Israel-Hamas War Qatar Says Israel and Hamas Agree to Extend Truce

Israel and Hamas agreed on Monday to extend their fragile truce for two more days, an act of continued cooperation that could allow for additional aid to flow into Gaza and the release of more hostages, prisoners and detainees than initially expected.

The extension, coming as the initial four-day truce was set to expire on Tuesday, was announced by Qatari mediators a few hours before 11 more Israeli hostages — including 3-year-old twins — were released into the custody of Israel’s military late Monday.

Hours later, a Red Cross bus of Palestinian prisoners and detainees arrived in the West Bank town of Ramallah as crowds cheered their arrival, according to The Associated Press.

It was the fourth swap of prisoners and hostages, one for each day of the cease-fire so far. The Israeli prime minister’s office said the released hostages included a 12-year-old boy and multiple members of four other families. The Israeli military said that they would undergo initial medical assessments and that its troops would accompany them until they were reunited with their families.

The pause has marked the longest break in fighting in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, when gunmen from Hamas and other armed groups launched a deadly attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 240 people hostage, according to Israeli officials. Israel responded with airstrikes, a siege and a ground invasion that has encircled Gaza City.

An extension of the cease-fire deal would prolong a pause in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 13,000 people and created a humanitarian disaster for its 2.2 million residents. Hamas said the two-day extension would carry the same terms as the initial pause.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government, which had offered to extend the pause by one day for every additional 10 hostages released. A spokesman for the Israeli military, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, urged patience on Monday night.

“We’re managing a framework through mediators, around the clock,” he said. “Nothing is final until it actually happens.”

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has expressed openness to an extension of the truce, but has also made clear that he intends for Israel to resume fighting after the pause ends in order to “eliminate” Hamas.

Under the initial deal, Hamas agreed to release 50 women and children taken hostage during the Oct. 7 attack. In return, Israel agreed to free 150 women and minors held in Israeli jails, among other terms.

In Washington, the Biden administration welcomed the announcement of the additional two-day pause, said John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, noting that the four-day cease-fire had already resulted in a surge in humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

“We’re grateful that we’ve got an extra two days to work with here,” Mr. Kirby said. He added that the United States would like to “see that extended further until all the hostages are released.”

Diaa Rashwan, the head of the State Information Service in Egypt, which is also mediating in the talks between Israel and Hamas, said earlier Monday that a two-day extension would include the release each day of 10 women and children being held hostage in Gaza in exchange for 30 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

Other terms of the current cease-fire, including the entry of more medicine, food and fuel supplies into Gaza and restrictions on Israeli flights over the territory, are to continue during the extension, Mr. Rashwan said.

Monday’s exchange was expected to include 33 Palestinians held in Israel, Mr. Rashwan said.

Before Monday, Hamas had released 39 Israeli hostages under the deal, while Israel had freed 117 Palestinian prisoners. An additional 19 hostages in Gaza — 17 Thais, one Filipino and one Russian-Israeli dual citizen — have been released since Friday through separate negotiations.

The shaky truce appeared to hit a snag on Monday as both sides took issue with the names presented by the other for the fourth day of exchanges under the deal, according to a person familiar with the negotiations, but the dispute was soon resolved.

The cease-fire deal initially included the release of 50 women and children because that was the number Hamas had been able to locate, the prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday.

More than 40 women and children are being held hostage by groups other than Hamas, Mr. al-Thani said, adding that Israel was willing to extend the cease-fire if “there’s proof” that Hamas has more women and children to release.

Israeli officials had expressed concerns to Qatar that some children were being released without their captured mothers, according to an official briefed on the talks. The official said Hamas had responded that in those cases, the mothers were being held by different groups and it would take time to get them.

Isabel Kershner , Iyad Abuheweila , Erica L. Green and Edward Wong contributed reporting.