International mediators appeared to make progress on Wednesday (November 29) in their efforts to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas fighters to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and additional relief from Israel's military offensive.
If no deal would be brokered, the truce would end within the day.
How Israel May Destroy Hamas After the Truce
While Israel welcomed the release of hostages during the truce, officials say they were still committed to annihilating Hamas after its deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7.
According to the Associated Press, Yehya Sinwar and other Hamas leaders have likely relocated to the south, along with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who have packed into overflowing shelters.
A ground invasion of the south by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) could eventually weed out Hamas leadership and demolish the rest of its militant infrastructure, including kilometers of tunnels, but at a cost of Palestinian lives and destruction that the United States - Israel's main ally - could be unwilling to bear.
Washington officials have told their Israeli counterparts to operate with far greater precision if they would resume the offensive, especially in the south. However, such an approach could make it difficult to annihilate Hamas any time soon, as international pressure for a more lasting ceasefire continued to mount.
"How far both sides will be prepared to go in trading hostages and prisoners for the pause is about to be tested, but the pressures and incentives for both to stick with it are at the moment stronger than the incentives to go back to war," former US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Read Also : Israel, Hamas Blame Each Other for Violating Truce After Explosives Detonated, Shots Fired in Gaza
Racing Against the Clock
Negotiators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar are trying to strike a deal with Israel and Hamas to make another extension to the truce before the day ends.
The Times of Israel reported that Hamas was willing to extend its truce deal with Israel for four more days to facilitate the release of hostages in exchange for freeing all prisoners detained.
Egyptian state information services chief Diaa Rashwan said that negotiations to extend the pause in the fighting and release more hostages have made progress and that it was "highly likely" that another extension would be announced by the end of Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been planning to revisit the Middle East this week, saying that the US would like to see an extension of the truce, the release of more hostages, and the delivery of more aid to Gaza.
While in Brussels, Blinken said he also wanted to discuss postwar arrangements for Gaza, in which the US, Israel, and the Arab world were deeply divided.
Meanwhile, Israel said on Wednesday that around 160 hostages remain captive in Gaza, including four children under 18 and 10 elderly individuals over 75. As information was hard to come by, authorities have only given approximate counts of the number of hostages still being held in Gaza.
As of Wednesday, a total of 60 Israelis are freed, with an additional 21 hostages from Thailand, the Philippines, and Russia also liberated.
