Israel and Hamas approached the scheduled conclusion of a four-day cease-fire on Monday, with expectations for Israel to release additional Palestinian prisoners and Hamas to free more hostages as efforts were made to extend the truce.
Hamas signaled its willingness to extend the agreement, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized on Sunday that Israel would support an extension contingent on Hamas releasing 10 more hostages each day.
The initial agreement, implemented after six weeks of conflict, involved Hamas releasing 50 hostages, Israel freeing 150 Palestinian prisoners, and a temporary halt to hostilities.
As of late Sunday, the United Nations reported a total of 39 Israelis, 117 Palestinians, and 19 foreign nationals had been released.
The United States, Egypt, and Qatar were among those advocating for an extension, having played roles in securing the four-day cease-fire.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his goal on Sunday, stating, “That’s our goal, to keep this pause going beyond tomorrow so that we can continue to see more hostages come out and surge more humanitarian relief into those in need in Gaza.