'Additional two days': Qatar and Hamas say extension to temporary ceasefire agreed

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The temporary truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas has been extended by two days, Qatar and Hamas have said.

A White House official has also told NBC News - the US partner of Sky News - that an agreement has been reached to extend the ceasefire.

The temporary truce was initially due to end at 5am UK time on Tuesday 28 November.

However, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry of Qatar - which has been involved in mediating the temporary truce - said it would last an "additional two days".

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In a post on X, formerly Twitter, spokesperson Dr Majed al Ansari wrote: "The State of Qatar announces, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip."

Hamas has also confirmed the truce, while Israel has yet to comment.

"The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas announces that it has been agreed with the brothers in Qatar and Egypt to extend the temporary humanitarian truce for an additional two days under the same conditions as the previous truce," a Hamas statement read.

Diplomatic developments are positive - but continuation of fighting still looks the most likely eventuality

Dominic Waghorn

International Affairs Editor

@DominicWaghorn

The extension of the truce between Israel and Hamas, by another two days, is further proof that mediation channels through Egypt and Qatar, with support from the US, are working.

The process of release, over the past four days, has been proven. Although neither side trusts the other, that will have built a degree of confidence.

Both sides have their own reasons to agree an extension: Israel will get more of its hostages back home and Hamas has more time to regroup after the seven weeks of intense bombardment and military ground operations.

Hamas is also being credited in The West Bank for securing the release of Palestinian prisoners. That political windfall is not to be under-estimated.

Nevertheless, there will come a point when all the women, children and elderly have been released and then Hamas is unlikely to free young Israeli men, or IDF soldiers, without demanding a much larger price from Israel.

We understand that Israel is not ready to entertain a prolonged ceasefire, although such is the intensity of negotiations behind-the-scenes, that could yet change.

Even if Israel were to get all the hostages back, as unlikely as that might currently seem, they still wouldn’t have achieved their objective of eliminating Hamas leadership.

And so despite the positive developments, a continuation of the fighting still looks like the most likely eventuality – it would take considerable diplomatic efforts to persuade Israel to change course.

Hamas had been pushing for an extension to the temporary ceasefire if "serious efforts" were made to increase the number of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel.

Under the terms of the current deal, Hamas has agreed to release a total of 50 hostages, while Israel will release 150 Palestinian detainees over four days.

Israel previously said the deal allows for the truce to be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.