Israel and Hamas "close" to agreeing to extend truce by two days

Israel and Hamas are "close" to extending the truce for two more days, which includes the daily release of ten hostages in Gaza in exchange for the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners, said the director of the State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, who acts as spokesman for the Egyptian government.

"The Egyptian-Catar efforts to extend the humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip are, so far, close to reaching an extension for two more days," the Egyptian official said in a statement.

He added that this agreement "includes the daily release of ten hostages in Gaza, women and children, in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails", so that a total of 20 Israelis and 60 Palestinians would be released during the ceasefire extension. 

Rashwan said that, in addition to the exchange of hostages for prisoners, during the two-day truce the ceasefire will be maintained "throughout the Gaza Strip", where Israeli fighter planes and drones will not be allowed to fly.

In addition, the entry of humanitarian, medical and fuel aid will continue throughout the Palestinian enclave, according to the note, which did not provide details on the quantities agreed.

This Monday marks the fourth day of the truce in Gaza, amid uncertainty over whether it will be extended for more days, a possibility that included the agreement reached last week by both sides. 

Last Friday at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) the pact came into force and included the release of 50 Israeli captives for the release of 150 Palestinians, and opened the door to an extension of up to ten days if Hamas continued to allow at least ten hostages a day to leave.

Both the Islamist group and the Israeli government on Sunday publicly expressed their willingness to extend the agreement, but this has not yet materialised with only a few hours to go before the ceasefire expires.