The US government announced yesterday that it is making an effort so that the truce between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which took effect on Friday and was extended for 48 hours, to last longer.

The suspension of operations, which was originally planned to last four days, is not clear whether it will be possible to extend it further, however, Washington acknowledged.

“You know we’re in favor and we’ll continue to work on it,” the spokesman for the US presidency’s National Security Council told reporters yesterday.

“We want to see all the hostages freed,” John Kirby said. “One way to do that is these pauses, you need to pause to get the hostages out (…) they go together.”

“We hope that we will be able to continue working with Israel, Qatar and Egypt to see if we can extend the truce further,” he added.

After its extension, the validity of the armistice expires tomorrow Thursday at 07:00 (local time and Greek time).

Mr. Kerby also expressed the hope that other hostages who are US citizens will be released.
So far, a 4-year-old girl, who according to the American government lost her parents, killed in front of her eyes, has been released, while before the agreement two women with American citizenship had been released by Hamas.

Washington believes that among the hostages remaining in Hamas’ hands are two women with American citizenship. Another 7 Americans are missing, but it is unclear if they are hostages.

“We have no indication that Hamas is trying to play some game with the Americans,” the National Security Council spokesman said.

“I think it’s important to remember a couple of things. First, the number of Americans is small. And the number of Americans who could be released,” meaning “women and children,” is “even smaller,” Mr. Kerby explained.

Until yesterday, 81 Hamas hostages were released, among them 61 Israeli citizens, and in exchange 180 Palestinians who were held in Israeli prisons were released.

Israel received from Hamas a list of hostages to be released today

Israeli authorities have received a new list of hostages held in the Gaza Strip who will be released today, media reports.

It has not been made clear how many hostages there are who will be released within the day, however, their families have been informed, according to the digital edition of the Times of Israel newspaper, which cited the services of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

They are the sixth group of hostages to be freed after a ceasefire between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Islamist movement took effect on Friday. So far, 81 hostages have been freed — 60 within the framework of the parties’ agreement brokered by Qatar and supported by Egypt and the US — and in exchange 180 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons have been freed.