Fourth day of truce: Israel receives list of last 11 hostages

Fourth day of truce: Israel receives list of last 11 hostages

Another 17 Israeli hostages and foreign nationals were exchanged for 39 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas is willing to release more hostages but is demanding the release of more Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Benjamin Netanyahu says he is open to extending the ceasefire.

On the other hand, he emphasizes that, after the end of the truce, the ground operation will continue "in full force".

USA: The Senate will soon vote on Biden's request for Ukraine and Israel

In an effort to impose an air of urgency as difficult negotiations over the US budget continue, Senate Majority Leader Democrat Chuck Schumer plans to call a vote before Dec. 4 on President Joseph Biden's request to approve multibillion-dollar aid to Ukraine and Israel.

The statement issued by Schumer on Sunday puts pressure on lawmakers to reach an agreement on border security, while simultaneously voting on much-needed aid for Ukraine and Israel, the Politico portal reports. Senate Republicans are seeking to make changes to border security policy a condition of additional appropriations, hoping that such a deal could appease the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, which is reluctant to approve new appropriations.

Schumer said the request to strengthen border security is the "biggest obstacle" to the delivery of new funds to defend Ukraine against Russia and for Israel's war with Hamas.

Israel received a list of the last 11 hostages to be released

On the fourth, last day of the agreed truce, Israel received a list of the last 11 hostages, who should be released today after 52 days in Hamas captivity.

The Palestinian militant organization has pledged to release a total of 50 women and children kidnapped in Gaza in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, unless the agreement is extended under new conditions, the Times of Israel reports.

Hamas announced on Sunday that on the third day of the cessation of hostilities with the Israeli army, it released 13 Israeli hostages, as well as four foreigners - three Thai and one Russian citizen, Reuters reported earlier. The Israeli army announced, however, that 14 Israelis and three foreigners were freed and handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross. In a statement released Sunday evening, Hamas said it wanted to extend the ceasefire beyond the end of the four-day truce, in an effort to free more Palestinians from Israeli prisons.

The agreed truce already includes a provision to extend it by one extra day for every ten hostages that Hamas agrees to release.