TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)– The truce between Israel and Hamas has entered into its 5th day on Tuesday, with the militant group assuring to release more civilian captives to postpone the anticipated resumption of the war and Israel under growing pressure to release more Palestinian civilians when the fighting resumes.
The sides agreed to extend their truce through Wednesday, with two more planned exchanges of militant-held captives for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israel has repeatedly pledged to resume the war with “full force” to destroy Hamas once it’s clear that no more captives will be released under the current arrangement’s terms.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the region later this week for the third time since the start of the war, and is expected to push for an extension of the truce and the release of more captives.
The Biden administration has informed Israel it needs to avoid “significant further displacement” and mass casualties among Palestinian civilians if it resumes the offensive, and that it must operate with more precision in southern Gaza than it has in the north, according to U.S. officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for a permanent cease-fire and the release of all captives, reflecting broad international support for a cessation of hostilities.
Hamas and other militants are still holding about 160 people, out of the 240 taken in their Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel that sparked the war. This is enough to potentially extend the truce for another 2 weeks under the current structure brokered by the Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. However, Hamas is expected to make much higher demands for the release of captive soldiers.
Israel states it is committed to resuming the war, which is already the most dangerous round of Israeli-Palestinian violence in years. It blames the escalating casualty toll on Hamas, accusing the militants of using civilians as human shields while operating in dense, residential areas.
Israel has vowed to end Hamas’ 16-year rule in Gaza and crush its military capabilities. This would likely require expanding the ground offensive from northern Gaza—where entire neighborhoods have been pounded into rubble—to the south, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have packed into overflowing United Nations shelters.
Captives Released
Hamas released another 11 women and children on Monday in the 4th and final swap planned under the initial cease-fire agreement, which came into effect Friday. Israel released 33 Palestinian detainees.
Monday’s releases bring the total number of Israelis released under the truce to 51, along with 19 captives of other nationalities. So far, 150 Palestinians have been released from Israeli prisons. Israel has stated it would extend the cease-fire by one day for each 10 additional captives released.
