Israel and Hamas suggest the possibility of broadening the criteria for exchange operations
The truce between Israel and Hamas was extended on Tuesday to allow the release of more Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees and the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian situation remains “catastrophic”.
Hamas said it is trying to reach a new truce agreement with Israel under which the movement will release more hostages in addition to the women and children already released so far, according to Reuters.
The statements in this regard made yesterday evening (Monday) by Khalil al-Hayya, leader of the Hamas movement, coincided with Israel’s expansion of the list of Palestinian detainees who could be released in exchange for the release of hostages, which represents another indication that the possibility of changing the terms of the truce is being considered.
Al-Hayya said: “We hope that the occupation will be implemented within the next two days because we are explicitly trying to make a new agreement that does not include women and children, so that we can exchange the other categories that we have.”
He added that there is an effort “to move towards an additional period to complete the exchange process with the people we have available that we can exchange with at this stage.”
Yesterday the truce, initially scheduled for four days, was extended for another two days.
Under the agreement reached last week mediated by Qatar and Egypt, Hamas released 50 Israeli women and children detained in Gaza, in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons, with the possibility of doubling these numbers if the truce is extended. for five days.
Israel has published in advance the names of 300 detained Palestinian women and minors for possible release.
Officials said that last night, the Israeli government added the names of 50 detained women to that list.
Israeli government spokesmen have not yet responded to a question about an explanation for the new number, which is not divisible by three, which could mean that work is being done to prepare a new exchange formula.
Hamas captured around 240 people during its attack on southern Israel on October 7. Among the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip there are fathers, husbands, women and children, whom the movement has freed in recent days.