More hostages set to be freed as hopes grow for longer Gaza truce

1. Hamas says it is seeking to extend the current four-day pause in fighting with Israel and increase the number of hostages released.
2. Israel’s PM has said the original agreement could be extended – but Israeli operations in Gaza would resume with full force after the truce period.
3. Meanwhile, more Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are due to be released on Monday, on the final day of the current truce period.
4. On Sunday, 14 Israeli hostages and three foreign nationals were released by Hamas in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners.
5. Gazans have been using the pause in fighting to get desperately-needed supplies of fuel, food and medicine.
6. Hamas’s attacks on 7 October killed 1,200 people, with about 240 taken hostage.
7. Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 14,500 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory campaign.

Source: BBC