Israel-Hamas ceasefire extended just minutes before it was due to end as more hostages freed
30 November 2023, 07:00 | Updated: 30 November 2023, 07:07
Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend a temporary truce by another day minutes before it was set to expire on Thursday morning, mediator Qatar has said.
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Negotiations on extending it came down to the wire, with last-minute disagreements over the hostages to be freed by Hamas in exchange for another day of a halt in fighting.
The Qatari foreign ministry said the truce was being extended under the same terms as in the past, under which Hamas has released 10 Israeli hostages per day in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners.
It comes as Israel released another group of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 16 hostages freed earlier by Hamas in Gaza.
A bus carrying some of the Palestinian detainees was seen arriving in the West Bank city of Ramallah before dawn on Thursday.
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The releases came on the sixth day of the temporary truce in the Israel-Hamas war.
After the ceasefire extension was announced, a shooting took place in Jerusalem, leaving one person dead.
Israeli Police said gunmen opened fire on people waiting for buses and rides along a main highway at the entrance of Jerusalem on Thursday.
The attack left one dead, one in critical condition and five others wounded, according to Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service.
Two attackers were killed, police said.
