Qatar announced this evening (Monday) that an agreement had successfully been brokered to extend the current ceasefire by an additional two days, hours after the Egyptian government said that such an agreement was close to fruition. The four-day ceasefire which began on Friday morning and was scheduled to expire tomorrow morning (Tuesday) will now last until Thursday morning. Under the new agreement, Hamas will release an additional 20 hostages, 10 for each day of the extension. 71 Israeli hostages will have been released in total out of 240 who were taken captive on October 7. It is unclear if Israel will release additional security prisoners in exchange for the freed hostages. Israel agreed to release about 150 prisoners who were convicted of security offenses such as terrorist attacks in exchange for 50 Israeli hostages during the original ceasefire agreement. The final 11 hostages to be released under the original deal, nine children and two mothers, are scheduled to be released this evening (Monday). The Israeli government has vowed to continue the war to eliminate the Hamas terrorist organization when the current ceasefire ends so that the massacre of over 1,200 people on October 7 can never be repeated. Related articles: These hostage videos are not a message — they’re manipulation 'We can't bring everyone back - that's a political spin' Hamas publishes additional video of hostage Elkana Bohbot Hamas interested in single-stage deal
