Hamas seeks to extend humanitarian pause in Gaza

Group aims to secure release of more Palestinians

The Palestinian group Hamas announced Sunday that it is seeking to extend its four-day humanitarian pause with Israel in the Gaza Strip. The group said in a statement that it is making serious efforts to secure the release of more Palestinians even after the pause ends. A Palestinian source who preferred to remain anonymous as he is not authorized to speak to the media confirmed to Anadolu that Hamas informed mediators Qatar and Egypt that the resistance movements were willing to extend the current truce by two to four days. During the first three days of the pause, Hamas released 40 Israelis and 18 foreigners, while Israel released 117 Palestinians. A four-day humanitarian pause mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US went into effect on Friday, temporarily halting Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip. Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas. It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more than 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave. The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.