The ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas will be extended by one day until Friday, Qatar, the mediating country, confirmed on Thursday, as a six-day humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip came to an end.
“The Palestinian and Israeli sides have agreed to extend the humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for another day,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said in a statement.
Hamas had already announced a one-day extension of the ceasefire early on Thursday, while the Israeli army hinted at a continuation of the ceasefire by continuing negotiations.
The extension of the ceasefire comes under the same conditions as the other pauses, namely the cessation of military activities and the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, Mr. Ansari explained.
He added that the ceasefire would take place “within the framework of joint mediation by Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States.”
The war between Israel and Hamas was triggered by a bloody attack by the Islamist movement on October 7 on Israeli soil from the Gaza Strip, where it seized power in 2007.
In retaliation, Israel, seeking to “destroy” Hamas, relentlessly bombed the Gaza Strip until a ceasefire came into effect on November 24.