- The military of Israel deflected a rocket fired from Gaza early on Friday.
- The enemies celebrated the seventh day of a truce mediated by Qatar on Thursday.
- 56 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies and additional fuel arrived in Gaza on Thursday.
The military of Israel deflected a rocket fired from Gaza early on Friday, triggering air raid sirens in Israeli communities as the deadline for extending the cease-fire with Hamas approached at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT).
Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas truce on November 24, this was the first incident. Ahead of the ceasefire deadline, Hamas-affiliated media reported that gunfire and explosions might occur in the northern region of the Gaza Strip.
Israel-Hamas war
The enemies celebrated the seventh day of a truce mediated by Qatar on Thursday by exchanging eight hostages and thirty Palestinian prisoners and by bringing in more humanitarian aid into the severely damaged Gaza Strip, following two last-minute extensions.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which earlier on Friday cited Egyptian officials, Israel and Hamas have decided to prolong the ceasefire for an additional day as part of an agreement that will see the release of more Israeli hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel was willing to extend the ceasefire provided Hamas agreed to release more hostages, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s advisor Mark Regev. In the past, Israel had stated that it would only halt its attack if ten hostages were released each day.
To extend the truce, new conditions for Hamas to release Israeli men, including soldiers, may need to be established as there are fewer Israeli women and children still held captive. The militant group may then try to force the release of male Palestinian prisoners. For every Israeli hostage taken, three Palestinian detainees have been released thus far.
Following the Israeli assault that left most of Gaza’s coastal territory—home to 2.3 million people—wasteland, the truce has made it possible for some humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and Israel’s defense ministry, 56 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies and additional fuel arrived in Gaza on Thursday. However, aid workers claim that fuel, water, food, and medical supplies are still being delivered at a much lower rate than what is required.
King Abdullah of Jordan urged international organizations and U.N. representatives to put pressure on Israel to permit more aid to enter the beleaguered enclave during an emergency meeting in Amman. Antony Blinken, the secretary of state for the United States, concurred that there was insufficient aid reaching Gaza and that Israel could not cause the same number of civilian deaths and population displacement in the north.
