Palestinian armed faction Hamas and Israel maintained a temporary ceasefire for the third day on the 26th (local time), continuing the exchange of hostages and prisoners. With less than a full day remaining until the agreed official ceasefire deadline, the possibility of extending the ceasefire remains uncertain.
On the evening of the 26th (local time), the Israeli military announced in a statement that it had received a total of 17 hostages, including Israelis and foreigners, from Hamas. Israel also released 39 Palestinian prisoners who had been held in its prisons. The Israeli military and the Shin Bet intelligence agency explained that they received custody of 13 hostages through the Red Crescent.
The military authorities took 12 of them to a nearby air force base to check their health condition. One other released hostage was immediately transported to a hospital by helicopter. The remaining four?three Thais and one dual Russian-Israeli national?were handed over to Israel through the Rafah border checkpoint.
Earlier, on the first day of the ceasefire on the 24th, 13 Israeli hostages and 11 foreigners (10 Thais and 1 Filipino) were released, and on the second day, the 25th, 13 Israelis and 4 foreigners (all Thais) were freed. Israel also released 78 Palestinians held in its prisons over the past two days in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
Both sides agreed to a four-day ceasefire, deciding to release 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners. The official ceasefire deadline is set for 7 a.m. on the 27th (2 p.m. Korean time on the 27th).
In this situation, the mediators, the governments of Qatar and Egypt, are negotiating with both Israel and Hamas on a plan to extend the ceasefire by up to four more days, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). A source familiar with the negotiations said, "We are discussing a plan to increase the release of Palestinian prisoners and expand humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in exchange for the additional release of at least 20 women and hostages."
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen (right) is speaking with a Thai hostage released by the Palestinian armed group Hamas at Shamir Medical Center south of Tel Aviv on the 25th (local time). [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
Both Israel and Hamas have indicated their willingness to extend the ceasefire on the condition of additional hostage releases. Hamas stated in a press release, "We are pushing to extend the ceasefire after the initial four days end," and "We are working to increase the number of those released as specified in the agreement on the humanitarian ceasefire." Foreign media, citing sources, reported that Hamas is considering releasing up to 40 additional hostages.
Israel emphasized the schedule for resuming the war and pressured Hamas for further hostage releases. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden during a call that "once the temporary ceasefire ends, we will fully resume military operations in the Gaza Strip," according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. However, he added that he welcomes the extension of the ceasefire if Hamas continues to release an additional 10 hostages daily as previously agreed. Earlier, the Israeli cabinet approved a negotiation plan with Hamas, setting the maximum ceasefire duration at 10 days and the release of Palestinian prisoners at up to 300.
Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the Gaza Strip for the first time since the outbreak of the war but continued his hardline stance, saying, "There are three goals: eliminating Hamas, returning all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel." On the same day, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi conducted a battlefield assessment to approve the resumption of military operations in Gaza after the temporary ceasefire. The New York Times (NYT) noted that extending the ceasefire could provide an opportunity for the U.S. and the international community to pressure Israel to scale back its military objectives.
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