Monday marks the end of Israel and Hamas' shaky four-day cease-fire and hostage-release agreement. A third trade is anticipated to occur before the deadline, following the release of 78 Palestinian detainees by Israel and the release of 41 hostages by Hamas in the first two exchanges.
As per the agreement, Israel would free some 150 Palestinian inmates and permit humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, while Hamas has committed to release about 50 hostages.
At least 250 hostages are thought to have been abducted by Hamas during its horrific attack on October 7. There will still be about 200 hostages in the hands of the extremist organization if all goes according to plan and a third swap occurs by Monday.
For every ten captives that Hamas releases in excess of the fifty stipulated in the agreement, Israel has stated that it is willing to extend the ceasefire by one day.
Al Jazeera, meanwhile, cited a Hamas spokesman who said that the organization would liberate all hostages provided Israel released all Palestinian detainees. There are 8,000 Palestinians detained by Israel, according to rough estimates.
Israel's military actions can likely afford Hamas at least 20 more days of reprieve, giving it time to reorganize and heal.
"Well, we found five more kids," Hamas will tease Israel with. There are a handful in the north that we can locate if you give us another day," Shira Efron, a senior researcher at the political research organization Israel Policy Forum, located in New York, told The New York Times.
Strong supporter of Israel, US President Joe Biden, stated on Friday that "the chances are real" for prolonging the ceasefire while advocating for a more comprehensive effort to realize a two-state solution in which a viable Palestinian state coexists with Israel.
