Hamas has expressed of a new truce agreement with Israel, suggesting an expansion of the criteria for releasing hostages beyond the initially freed women and children from the Gaza Strip.
Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas official, conveyed these intentions on Monday, indicating a potential revision of the truce terms.
Al-Hayya, in an interview with Al Jazeera, stated, "We hope the Occupation (Israel) abides (by the agreement) in the next two days because we are seeking a new agreement, besides women and children, whereby other categories that we have that we can swap."
This expansion would involve extending the time period for continuing the exchange of individuals.
In response to this, Israel has shown signs of considering changes to the truce terms by expanding the list of Palestinian detainees eligible for release in exchange for hostages.
Initially, under the Qatari and Egyptian-mediated deal established last week, Hamas had released 50 Israeli women and children hostages, and in return, Israel released 150 Palestinian detainees.
The agreement allowed for the possibility of doubling these numbers if the truce extended for five days. Israel had initially pre-cleared 300 Palestinian women and teenage male detainees for potential release.
Late on Monday, the Israeli cabinet increased this roster by adding 50 female prisoners to the list of those eligible for release, as confirmed by officials.
As part of the ongoing negotiations, the original four-day truce was extended by an additional two days on Monday, providing more time for the discussions and potential adjustments to the terms of the agreement.
