Hamas said on Sunday it wanted to extend its 4-day truce with Israel in Gaza to facilitate more exchanges of captives.
Fourteen Israeli and three Thai hostages were returned to Israel on the third day of the ceasefire, and Israel freed 39 Palestinian detainees from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
Two of the Israelis were dual citizens – a man with Russian citizenship and an Israeli American girl, Abigail Edan, who turned 4 in captivity. Israel said Hamas militants killed her parents in front of her during their Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.
A fourth exchange is expected on Monday – the last day of the truce. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel said it would grant a one-day extension for every 10 additional Israeli hostages. Hamas said for the first time on Sunday that it would seek an extension by looking to release a larger number of hostages.
