GAZA/JERUSALEM, Nov 27 (Reuters) – Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. negotiators closed in on an extension of a four-day truce in Gaza that expires on Monday, Egyptian security sources said, amid rising international pressure to roll over a deal which has paused seven weeks of fighting.
Palestinian group Hamas is seeking a four-day extension while Israel wants day-by-day extensions, with negotiations continuing over which Palestinian prisoners would be freed, the sources said.
An Israeli official earlier reiterated Israel’s position that it would agree to an extra day of truce for each additional 10 hostages freed and to release three times the number of Palestinians each time. The number of additional days is capped at five, the official added.
A Palestinian official, familiar with the truce talks, said both Hamas and Israel had shown a positive attitude to requests to extend the pause in fighting, but added that “a final decision hasn’t yet been reached”.
On Sunday, Hamas freed 17 people, including a 4-year-old Israeli-American girl, bringing the total number the militant group has released since Friday to 58, including foreigners. Israel freed 39 teenage Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, taking the total number of Palestinians freed under the truce to 117.
Under the terms of the current deal, Hamas is due to release in total 50 Israeli women and children held hostage in Gaza, which means that 11 remained to be freed on Monday. There is no limit in the deal on the number of foreigners it can release.
An Israeli government spokesperson said on Monday that the total number of hostages still held in Gaza was now 184, including 14 foreigners and 80 Israelis with dual nationality.
Monday marked the final day of an agreed four-day pause in the fighting.
Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have raised concerns over the lists of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners set to be released on Monday, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters.
The official added that Qatari mediators are working with Israel and Hamas to resolve issues and avoid delays.
“There is a slight issue with today’s lists. The Qataris are working with both sides to resolve it and avoid delays,” the official said.
In the previous three days of the truce Israel submitted the names of Palestinian women and teenagers it would release from jail and Hamas would submit the names of Israeli civilian hostages it would release at least 12 hours ahead of the release.
The truce between Israel and Hamas entered its final 24 hours on Monday, with the militant group saying it was willing to extend the pause after it freed more hostages, including a four-year-old orphaned by its 7 October attack.
The pause that began on Friday has seen dozens of hostages freed, with more than 100 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in return.
Agence France-Presse also reports that attention now has turned to whether the truce will be extended before its scheduled end early on Tuesday morning.
Hamas has signalled its willingness to extend the truce, with a source telling AFP the group told mediators they were open to prolonging it by “two to four days”.
Israel faces enormous pressure from the families of hostages, as well as allies, to extend the truce to secure more releases. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had spoken to Biden and would welcome extending the temporary truce if it meant that on every additional day 10 captives would be freed.
Under the truce, 50 hostages held by the militants were to be freed over four days in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. A built-in mechanism extends it if at least 10 Israeli captives are released each extra day
The third group of hostages released on Sunday included a four-year-old American citizen named Abigail whose parents were both murdered in the Hamas attacks.
