Israel and Hamas have expressed interest in potentially extending the truce, as it enters its last day. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
Palestinians walk through destruction in Gaza City on November 24, as the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas took effect. Mohammed Hajjar/AP
As the truce between Hamas and Israel enters its fourth and final day Monday, both parties have discussed the possibility of extending it, a move which has the support of key nations, including the US and Qatar.
In a statement released Sunday evening, Hamas said it wants “to extend the truce after the four-day period ends, through serious efforts to increase the number of those released from imprisonment as stipulated in the humanitarian ceasefire agreement.”
The agreed upon truce already includes a provision for an extension of one extra day for every ten hostages Hamas is ready to free.
While Israel's war cabinet discussed the possibility of an extension on Sunday evening, a source told CNN, those conditions for one, as outlined in the initial truce, remain unchanged.
Earlier this weekend, Qatar, which played a central role in mediating the original agreement, said it too was hoping to extend the truce.
"What we are hoping for is that the momentum that has carried from the releases … and from this agreement of four days will allow us to extend the truce beyond these four days, and therefore get into more serious discussions about the rest of the hostages," Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al-Ansari, told CNN on Saturday.
In a news conference Sunday, US President Joe Biden also expressed wanting to extend the pause in fighting to try to ensure the safe release of more hostages and to get critical aid to civilians in the enclave.
If you’re just joining us, here are other key headlines:
First American freed: Among the 17 hostages released Sunday was 4-year-old American-Israeli Abigail Edan whose release marks the first time an American hostage has been successfully freed since the start of the truce. Biden praised Edan's release in an address and spoke with her family Sunday afternoon, according to the White House. Officials released a full list of the freed hostages' names and ages. They include two mothers with their children and a pair of siblings.
Palestinian prisoners released: Thirty-nine prisoners and detainees from a total of seven Israeli prisons were released Sunday as part of the reciprocal deal, the Israel Prison Service confirmed. The group is made up of boys aged 18 and younger; two are 15, and one — the youngest released — is 14. Twenty-three of those released had been held under administrative detention, a widely criticized practice in which a detainee is unaware of any charges against them, and their case is not subject to any legal process.
Aid enters Gaza: At least 120 aid trucks entered Gaza through the Rafah border on Sunday, the Egyptian government confirmed. The delivery of aid to Gaza has been a key factor in sustaining the truce and exchanges between Israel and Hamas.
Hostages leave hospital: Some Israelis from the first wave of released hostages — members of two families — have been discharged from the Schneider Children’s Medical Hospital in Israel. They are the first former hostages to be discharged.
Palestinians killed in West Bank: Eight Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank over the course of 24 hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement Sunday. CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces for comment about the killings.
13 min ago
Netanyahu welcomes possibility of extending truce
From CNN's Alex Stambaugh
Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 28. Abir Sultan/AP/File
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Biden on Sunday that the possibility of extending the truce with Hamas would be "welcome" in return for the further release of 10 hostages per day from Gaza.
"We brought back another group of hostages this evening – women and children, and we are moved from the depths of our hearts, the entire nation, when we see this reuniting of families. It simply stirs the soul," Netanyahu said in a statement posted by the Prime Minister's Office on X, formerly Twitter. "There is also an outline that says that it is possible to release an additional ten hostages each day. That would be welcome," he added.
Netanyahu said he told Biden that if and when the truce expires, Israel "will go to realizing our goals with full force: Eliminating Hamas, ensuring that Gaza will not go back to being what it was and – of course – releasing all of our hostages."
On Sunday, Netanyahu visited Israeli troops inside the Gaza Strip, where he vowed, "we will continue until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us."
In the statement released later Sunday he said: "After being today in Gaza and I met with our soldiers, our heroes, and courageous our reservists and soldiers, with fire in their eyes, I am convinced that we’ll succeed, because we have no other choice."
13 min ago
Three Thai nationals released from Gaza on Sunday, foreign ministry confirms
From CNN's Alex Stambaugh
Thai citizens who were released from Gaza stand together during a visit by Ambassador of Thailand in Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya, in Be'er Ya'akov, Israel on November 26. Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Thailand/Reuters
Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday they have received confirmation of the release of three more Thai nationals from Gaza on Sunday.
The three former hostages are at a designated medical center where the Royal Thai Embassy officials are on hand to contact their families, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The ministry said it is working to bring back the 17 Thai nationals released so far from Gaza.
It thanked "all parties involved in the efforts towards this latest release" and said it continues to exert "all efforts" towards the safe release of the remaining 15 Thai nationals still being held by Hamas.
13 min ago
Hamas says it wants the truce to continue — and Israel's war cabinet discussed a potential extension Sunday
From CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman and Kaitlan Collins
Houses destroyed in Israeli strikes are seen in Gaza on November 26, as the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas took effect. Abed Sabah/Reuters
Hamas says it wants to extend its four-day truce with Israel, which has now seen the release of three groups of Israeli hostages from Gaza and three groups of Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israeli jails.
In a statement released Sunday evening, Hamas said it wants “to extend the truce after the four-day period ends, through serious efforts to increase the number of those released from imprisonment as stipulated in the humanitarian ceasefire agreement.”
Israel’s war cabinet discussed the possibility of extending the temporary truce when it met Sunday evening, an Israeli source told CNN.
The source said conditions for an extension remain unchanged from the original agreement: Hamas would need to release an additional 10 hostages for each additional day’s pause in the fighting.
Support from key nations: Qatar, which played a central role in mediating the original agreement, said it too was hoping to extend the truce.
"What we are hoping for is that the momentum that has carried from the releases of these two days and from this agreement of four days will allow us to extend the truce beyond these four days, and therefore get into more serious discussions about the rest of the hostages," Al-Ansari said.
US President Joe Biden also expressed wanting to extend the pause in fighting during remarks Sunday.
Biden said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will remain "personally engaged to see that this deal is fully implemented and work to extend the deal, as well. For weeks I've been advocating the pause in the fighting for two purposes: to increase the assistance getting in to the Gaza civilians who need help, and to facilitate the release of hostages."
13 min ago
39 Palestinian teenagers released from Israeli prisons on third day of Israel-Hamas truce
From CNN's Kareem Khadder, Abeer Salman and Eyad Kourdi
A bus carrying Palestinian teenagers released from Israeli prisons arrived in the center of the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday evening local time.
Earlier, Israel’s Prison Service confirmed it had released 39 prisoners and detainees from a total of seven Israeli prisons (six in Israel and one in the occupied West Bank), as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas that also saw the militant group release hostages today.
The group released Sunday included boys aged 18 and younger; two are 15 years old, and one, the youngest released, is 14.
They were welcomed in Ramallah by hundreds of well-wishers, some waving Palestinian flags, others carrying the flag of Hamas.
Some were detained without knowing their charge: Sixteen of those released were serving sentences, mostly for attacks on Israelis, according to information drawn from the Israeli Prison Service and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, a non-governmental organization advocating for prisoners’ rights.
The remaining 23 released had been held under administrative detention, a widely criticized practice in which a detainee is unaware of any charges against them, and their case is not subject to any legal process.
13 min ago
Some of the freed hostages went days with little food, families say
From CNN’s Joseph Ataman in Tel Aviv
An undated handout photo of Keren Munder and her son Ohad. Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum/AP
Freed Israeli hostage Keren Munder and her family endured days with only pita bread to eat during her captivity in Gaza, her cousin Merav Mor Raviv told journalists Sunday.
Munder and her mother each lost 12 or more pounds in weight due to the lack of regular nutrition, Mor Raviv said, adding, “They were eating — but not regularly.”
Their diet in captivity included a lot of rice and bread, she added.
Adva Adar, granddaughter of 85-year-old Yafa Adar, who was also freed Friday, said her grandmother had also lost weight during her nearly 50 days in Gaza.
Adar had kept track of the days as a hostage and was aware how long she had been a prisoner when she was released, her granddaughter said.
“We were asked to let her share whatever she feels comfortable sharing, and not to ask a lot of questions, so she wouldn't feel obligated (to answer), or that it wouldn't be too much for her,” Adva Adar said of the instructions the family had received regarding her grandmother’s first days of freedom.
Adar said her grandmother thought more of her family had been killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks, and only discovered they were alive when she was out of Hamas’ hands.
Yafa Adar’s house was destroyed in the fighting on October 7, her granddaughter said.
“Usually, you have your house where you raised your kids, you have your memories, your photo albums, you have your clothes. And she has nothing,” her granddaughter said. “And in her old age, she needs to start over.”
1 min ago
Biden welcomes the release of 4-year-old Abigail Edan, says she endured the "unthinkable"
From CNN’s Betsy Klein
US President Joe Biden welcomed the release of 4-year-old American-Israeli citizen Abigail Edan, who is now free after some 50 days held hostage in Gaza.
“Two days ago, one of our fellow Americans, a little girl named Abigail, turned 4 years old. She spent her birthday — that birthday, and at least 50 days before that — held hostage by Hamas,” Biden said in remarks from Nantucket, Massachusetts.
“Today she’s free, and Jill and I — together with so many Americans — are praying for the fact that she is going to be alright,” he continued, referring to first lady Jill Biden.
Having arrived in Israel, Biden said Edan is receiving love, care and “the supportive services she needs.”
Biden said the 4-year-old girl “has been through a terrible trauma.” Her mother, he said, was killed in front of her. She then ran to her father, Biden said, who used his body to shield his daughter and was also killed.
"What she endured was unthinkable,” he said.
He did not have details on Edan’s condition.
“She is safely ensconced in Israel, but there’s a lot more work to be done,” he said.
Biden added that he was “hopeful this is not the end” of the temporary truce.
Remember: Israel and Hamas reached a deal last week for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of at least 50 women and children held hostage in Gaza.
The deal involved hostages who were held captive by Hamas being released in exchange for a number of Palestinian women and children in Israeli jails. The truce, meanwhile, also allowed the entry of “a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid." The first release of hostages and prisoners took place on Friday, with others taking place Saturday and Sunday.
A truce between Hamas and Israel enters its fourth, and potentially final day, Monday. Over the first three days of the truce, Hamas has released a total of 58 hostages, primarily women in children, in exchange for the release of 117 Palestinian prisoners.
US President Joe Biden said the US will push to extend the pause in fighting, allowing more hostages to be released and aid to reach Gaza. Both Hamas and Israel have discussed the possibility. Under the terms of the original truce agreement, Hamas needs to release an additional 10 hostages for each additional day’s pause in the fighting.
Palestinians walk through destruction in Gaza City on November 24, as the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas took effect. Mohammed Hajjar/AP
As the truce between Hamas and Israel enters its fourth and final day Monday, both parties have discussed the possibility of extending it, a move which has the support of key nations, including the US and Qatar.
In a statement released Sunday evening, Hamas said it wants “to extend the truce after the four-day period ends, through serious efforts to increase the number of those released from imprisonment as stipulated in the humanitarian ceasefire agreement.”
The agreed upon truce already includes a provision for an extension of one extra day for every ten hostages Hamas is ready to free.
While Israel's war cabinet discussed the possibility of an extension on Sunday evening, a source told CNN, those conditions for one, as outlined in the initial truce, remain unchanged.
Earlier this weekend, Qatar, which played a central role in mediating the original agreement, said it too was hoping to extend the truce.
"What we are hoping for is that the momentum that has carried from the releases … and from this agreement of four days will allow us to extend the truce beyond these four days, and therefore get into more serious discussions about the rest of the hostages," Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al-Ansari, told CNN on Saturday.
In a news conference Sunday, US President Joe Biden also expressed wanting to extend the pause in fighting to try to ensure the safe release of more hostages and to get critical aid to civilians in the enclave.
If you’re just joining us, here are other key headlines:
First American freed: Among the 17 hostages released Sunday was 4-year-old American-Israeli Abigail Edan whose release marks the first time an American hostage has been successfully freed since the start of the truce. Biden praised Edan's release in an address and spoke with her family Sunday afternoon, according to the White House. Officials released a full list of the freed hostages' names and ages. They include two mothers with their children and a pair of siblings.
Palestinian prisoners released: Thirty-nine prisoners and detainees from a total of seven Israeli prisons were released Sunday as part of the reciprocal deal, the Israel Prison Service confirmed. The group is made up of boys aged 18 and younger; two are 15, and one — the youngest released — is 14. Twenty-three of those released had been held under administrative detention, a widely criticized practice in which a detainee is unaware of any charges against them, and their case is not subject to any legal process.
Aid enters Gaza: At least 120 aid trucks entered Gaza through the Rafah border on Sunday, the Egyptian government confirmed. The delivery of aid to Gaza has been a key factor in sustaining the truce and exchanges between Israel and Hamas.
Hostages leave hospital: Some Israelis from the first wave of released hostages — members of two families — have been discharged from the Schneider Children’s Medical Hospital in Israel. They are the first former hostages to be discharged.
Palestinians killed in West Bank: Eight Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank over the course of 24 hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement Sunday. CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces for comment about the killings.
Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 28. Abir Sultan/AP/File
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Biden on Sunday that the possibility of extending the truce with Hamas would be "welcome" in return for the further release of 10 hostages per day from Gaza.
"We brought back another group of hostages this evening – women and children, and we are moved from the depths of our hearts, the entire nation, when we see this reuniting of families. It simply stirs the soul," Netanyahu said in a statement posted by the Prime Minister's Office on X, formerly Twitter. "There is also an outline that says that it is possible to release an additional ten hostages each day. That would be welcome," he added.
Netanyahu said he told Biden that if and when the truce expires, Israel "will go to realizing our goals with full force: Eliminating Hamas, ensuring that Gaza will not go back to being what it was and – of course – releasing all of our hostages."
On Sunday, Netanyahu visited Israeli troops inside the Gaza Strip, where he vowed, "we will continue until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us."
In the statement released later Sunday he said: "After being today in Gaza and I met with our soldiers, our heroes, and courageous our reservists and soldiers, with fire in their eyes, I am convinced that we’ll succeed, because we have no other choice."
Thai citizens who were released from Gaza stand together during a visit by Ambassador of Thailand in Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya, in Be'er Ya'akov, Israel on November 26. Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Thailand/Reuters
Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday they have received confirmation of the release of three more Thai nationals from Gaza on Sunday.
The three former hostages are at a designated medical center where the Royal Thai Embassy officials are on hand to contact their families, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The ministry said it is working to bring back the 17 Thai nationals released so far from Gaza.
It thanked "all parties involved in the efforts towards this latest release" and said it continues to exert "all efforts" towards the safe release of the remaining 15 Thai nationals still being held by Hamas.
Houses destroyed in Israeli strikes are seen in Gaza on November 26, as the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas took effect. Abed Sabah/Reuters
Hamas says it wants to extend its four-day truce with Israel, which has now seen the release of three groups of Israeli hostages from Gaza and three groups of Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israeli jails.
In a statement released Sunday evening, Hamas said it wants “to extend the truce after the four-day period ends, through serious efforts to increase the number of those released from imprisonment as stipulated in the humanitarian ceasefire agreement.”
Israel’s war cabinet discussed the possibility of extending the temporary truce when it met Sunday evening, an Israeli source told CNN.
The source said conditions for an extension remain unchanged from the original agreement: Hamas would need to release an additional 10 hostages for each additional day’s pause in the fighting.
Support from key nations: Qatar, which played a central role in mediating the original agreement, said it too was hoping to extend the truce.
"What we are hoping for is that the momentum that has carried from the releases of these two days and from this agreement of four days will allow us to extend the truce beyond these four days, and therefore get into more serious discussions about the rest of the hostages," Al-Ansari said.
US President Joe Biden also expressed wanting to extend the pause in fighting during remarks Sunday.
Biden said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will remain "personally engaged to see that this deal is fully implemented and work to extend the deal, as well. For weeks I've been advocating the pause in the fighting for two purposes: to increase the assistance getting in to the Gaza civilians who need help, and to facilitate the release of hostages."
A bus carrying Palestinian teenagers released from Israeli prisons arrived in the center of the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday evening local time.
Earlier, Israel’s Prison Service confirmed it had released 39 prisoners and detainees from a total of seven Israeli prisons (six in Israel and one in the occupied West Bank), as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas that also saw the militant group release hostages today.
The group released Sunday included boys aged 18 and younger; two are 15 years old, and one, the youngest released, is 14.
They were welcomed in Ramallah by hundreds of well-wishers, some waving Palestinian flags, others carrying the flag of Hamas.
Some were detained without knowing their charge: Sixteen of those released were serving sentences, mostly for attacks on Israelis, according to information drawn from the Israeli Prison Service and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, a non-governmental organization advocating for prisoners’ rights.
The remaining 23 released had been held under administrative detention, a widely criticized practice in which a detainee is unaware of any charges against them, and their case is not subject to any legal process.
An undated handout photo of Keren Munder and her son Ohad. Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum/AP
Freed Israeli hostage Keren Munder and her family endured days with only pita bread to eat during her captivity in Gaza, her cousin Merav Mor Raviv told journalists Sunday.
Munder and her mother each lost 12 or more pounds in weight due to the lack of regular nutrition, Mor Raviv said, adding, “They were eating — but not regularly.”
Their diet in captivity included a lot of rice and bread, she added.
Adva Adar, granddaughter of 85-year-old Yafa Adar, who was also freed Friday, said her grandmother had also lost weight during her nearly 50 days in Gaza.
Adar had kept track of the days as a hostage and was aware how long she had been a prisoner when she was released, her granddaughter said.
“We were asked to let her share whatever she feels comfortable sharing, and not to ask a lot of questions, so she wouldn't feel obligated (to answer), or that it wouldn't be too much for her,” Adva Adar said of the instructions the family had received regarding her grandmother’s first days of freedom.
Adar said her grandmother thought more of her family had been killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks, and only discovered they were alive when she was out of Hamas’ hands.
Yafa Adar’s house was destroyed in the fighting on October 7, her granddaughter said.
“Usually, you have your house where you raised your kids, you have your memories, your photo albums, you have your clothes. And she has nothing,” her granddaughter said. “And in her old age, she needs to start over.”
US President Joe Biden welcomed the release of 4-year-old American-Israeli citizen Abigail Edan, who is now free after some 50 days held hostage in Gaza.
“Two days ago, one of our fellow Americans, a little girl named Abigail, turned 4 years old. She spent her birthday — that birthday, and at least 50 days before that — held hostage by Hamas,” Biden said in remarks from Nantucket, Massachusetts.
“Today she’s free, and Jill and I — together with so many Americans — are praying for the fact that she is going to be alright,” he continued, referring to first lady Jill Biden.
Having arrived in Israel, Biden said Edan is receiving love, care and “the supportive services she needs.”
Biden said the 4-year-old girl “has been through a terrible trauma.” Her mother, he said, was killed in front of her. She then ran to her father, Biden said, who used his body to shield his daughter and was also killed.
"What she endured was unthinkable,” he said.
He did not have details on Edan’s condition.
“She is safely ensconced in Israel, but there’s a lot more work to be done,” he said.
Biden added that he was “hopeful this is not the end” of the temporary truce.
Remember: Israel and Hamas reached a deal last week for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of at least 50 women and children held hostage in Gaza.
The deal involved hostages who were held captive by Hamas being released in exchange for a number of Palestinian women and children in Israeli jails. The truce, meanwhile, also allowed the entry of “a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid." The first release of hostages and prisoners took place on Friday, with others taking place Saturday and Sunday.
