Doha/Gaza: With the four-day truce expiring on Tuesday, Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend the pause by two days, said a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday.
"The State of Qatar announces, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian pause for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip," the spokesperson said on X, formerly Twitter.
Deeming the extension as "a glimpse of hope and humanity in the middle of the darkness of war," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "I strongly hope that these will enable us to increase even more the humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza that (are) suffering so much."
On Monday, the last day of the Israel-Hamas truce, Israel confirmed that Hamas released another 11 captives in the Gaza Strip, while 33 Palestinians released by Israel arrived early Tuesday in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Hamas said in a statement to Xinhua that the extension of the truce will be carried out "under the same conditions as listed in the previous cease-fire deal."
Over the weeks since the Israel-Hamas fighting began, Qatar has played a crucial role in facilitating the truce, while more international efforts of mediation are coming soon. (with Agency inputs)
