Ceasefire in Gaza extended for second time amid ongoing hostage negotiations

New Delhi, Nov 30: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed the continuation of the six-day truce in Gaza, citing ongoing mediation efforts to facilitate the release of hostages. Concurrently, Hamas has agreed to extend the ceasefire for an additional day, as reported by Reuters. The IDF did not specify the duration of the extension.

Late Wednesday night, ten Israeli hostages and four Thai citizens returned to Israeli territory following their release from Gaza. Additionally, two Russian-Israeli women were reported to have been released on the same day.

Israel's prison service disclosed the release of an additional 30 Palestinian prisoners. The extension marks the seventh day of the truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Tel Aviv, embarking on his third visit to the region in less than two months. His primary objective is to seek an extension of the pause in hostilities.

On the sixth day of the truce, two Palestinian boys aged 8 and 14 were reportedly shot dead during an Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin. The Palestinian Authority contends that Israeli troops were responsible for the killings, while Israel maintains its forces engaged with suspects throwing explosive devices, resulting in the deaths of two "senior terror operatives." Israel has not provided specific comments on the deaths of the boys.

The conflict originated on October 7 when Hamas crossed the border, killing 1,200 people in Israel and taking around 240 others hostage. Since then, Gaza's health ministry reports that over 14,800 people have been killed in Israeli attacks.