Gaza truce extension in the talks, on verge of an agreement: Reuters

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
27 Nov 2023 16:34

Egyptian, Qatari, and U.S. negotiators are on the verge of reaching an agreement to prolong the Gaza truce, which was initially scheduled to end on Monday.

Omar Atshan, 17, is hugged by his mother after being released from an Israeli prison in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Sunday Nov. 26, 2023 (AP)

A recent report to Reuters revealed that Egyptian, Qatari, and U.S. negotiators are on the verge of reaching an agreement to prolong the Gaza truce, which was initially scheduled to end on Monday.

However, the ongoing discussions involve determining the duration of the extension and identifying which prisoners to be released, as stated by three Egyptian security sources.

In a statement, Hamas underscored that "the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas seeks to extend the truce after the 4-day period ends, through serious efforts to increase the number of those released from imprisonment as stipulated in the humanitarian ceasefire agreement" while "Israel" argues for a day-by-day extension and holds negotiations to decide which prisoners to release.

Several officials showed opposition to a temporary truce, saying it is insufficient and will not allow much to be done.

The head of UNICEF Catherine Russell on Wednesday said that the besieged Gaza Strip has become "the most dangerous place in the world to be a child," adding that the hard-won truce deal between "Israel" and the Resistance was insufficient to ensure the safety and well-being of children.

Since the start of the war on Gaza, an estimated 5,300 children have reportedly been killed, which account for 40 percent of total deaths, Russell said during a meeting at the UN Security Council, a number that has then mounted to over 6,000.

The truce, however, was able to present monumental success, through the release of 39 child prisoners, sparking celebrations that were cut short due to the IOF's violation of the truce. Prior to the prisoner's release, Israeli forces opened fire and targeted crowds near the "Ofer" prison, west of Ramallah, from which prisoners were released, injuring several.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the total number of injured outside the prison was 21 Palestinians. The injuries varied: 7 were injured by live bullets, 4 by rubber bullets, and 10 were injured by gas bombs.

"Israel's" censorship of prisoner testimonies

While Palestinian women exposed the reality of serving sentences in Israeli prisons, showed proof of the torture and harassment they had to endure, and how inhumane living conditions were imposed on them, Israeli captives showed admiration as Hamas released them back.

Israeli hostages were found to be in good health and explicitly shared the good care they were provided in previous videos released by Hamas, which prompted the Israeli occupation state to censor their testimonies and disallow any talks with the press.

🚨🇮🇱 The hostages were very friendly with Hamas. No wonder ISRAEL isn’t letting them speak to the press! pic.twitter.com/ObrbNhJgzI
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) November 26, 2023