Qatar: "Additional Ceasefire Depends on Securing Hostages for Hamas Release"
Regarding the possible additional extension of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is acting as a mediator, stated on the 28th (local time) that "it depends on whether Hamas can secure the hostages to be released."
According to major foreign media on the day, Majid Al Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held a press conference and said, "We are focusing on further extending the ceasefire," adding, "The extension of the ceasefire depends on Hamas securing additional hostages to be released in the future." Qatar also added that it cannot verify how many hostages currently remain in the Gaza Strip beyond the 20 hostages to be additionally released during the extended two days.
On October 7, Hamas infiltrated armed militants into southern Israel, carried out massacres, and took about 240 hostages to the Gaza Strip. Among them, Hamas first released an American mother and daughter on October 20, followed by the release of two elderly Israeli women three days later. Additionally, since the temporary ceasefire began on October 24, a total of 50 Israelis and 19 foreigners have been released over four days.
As a condition for extending the temporary ceasefire, originally scheduled to end on the morning of the 28th, by two more days, Hamas agreed to release 20 additional hostages over the next two days. The agreement also includes a condition that if Hamas releases 10 more hostages per day after the promised four days, the ceasefire will be extended by one day at a time.
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However, Hamas is reportedly having difficulties securing the hostages to be released on time. This is due to the hostages being dispersed in multiple locations and the lack of proper communication with the armed groups and civilians managing some of the hostages amid large-scale Israeli airstrikes. There are also concerns that Hamas has failed to uphold the agreement to release mothers along with child hostages, and that some hostages may have died during captivity.
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