Israel and Hamas extended their truce into a seventh day at the last minute. Hamas will release ten hostages and three bodies to Israel.
The extension also took place as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Israel for talks with the Israeli government in Jerusalem and, later, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. Blinken and the Biden administration have been pushing for further and longer pauses in the fighting.
As the day broke Thursday, it was unclear “whether, and when” fighting would resume, as Israel’s Army Radio described the situation. But news broke at roughly ten minutes to 7:00 a.m. — the official end of the truce — that Israel would hold back to provide more time for mediation via Qatar, Egypt, and the U.
