US, Israel agree to continue efforts to rescue hostages

For his part, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that Israel would resume the entire military campaign in Gaza as soon as the temporary ceasefire ends. However, he also pledged to “welcome” the result of extending the ceasefire on the basis that for every 10 hostages released compared to the initial agreement of 50, the ceasefire would be extended by one day.

Meanwhile, people in the West Bank welcomed the return of 39 Palestinian prisoners after they were released by Israel as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas. Hundreds of people in the central West Bank city of Ramallah welcomed the 39 young men dressed in grey prison uniforms.

The release came hours after Hamas freed 17 hostages it had been holding in the Gaza Strip. It was the third of four prisoner and hostage exchanges under the ceasefire.

Earlier, the Israel Prison Service confirmed that 39 Palestinian detainees were released on November 26, under the terms of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

In a related development, Middle Eastern media quoted a Hamas representative as saying that the group is seeking to extend the ceasefire, instead of the current four-day agreement. According to the previous agreement, the ceasefire began on November 24 and would last until November 27, but Israel announced that for every 10 hostages released compared to the original agreement of 50, the ceasefire would be extended by one day.