Will Israel, Hamas Extend Tru 11/27 06:16

   Israel and Hamas appeared open to extending a cease-fire in Gaza that has 
halted their deadliest and most destructive war but is set to expire after 
Monday, with a fourth exchange of militant-held hostages for Palestinians 
imprisoned by Israel planned for later in the day.

   TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- Israel and Hamas appeared open to extending a 
cease-fire in Gaza that has halted their deadliest and most destructive war but 
is set to expire after Monday, with a fourth exchange of militant-held hostages 
for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel planned for later in the day.

   Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 
additional hostages released. Hamas has also said it hopes to extend the 
four-day truce, which came into effect Friday after several weeks of indirect 
negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

   But Israel also says it remains committed to crushing Hamas' military 
capabilities and ending its 16-year rule over Gaza after its Oct. 7 attack into 
southern Israel. That would likely mean expanding a ground offensive from 
devastated northern Gaza to the south, where hundreds of thousands of 
Palestinians have crammed into United Nations shelters, and where dire 
conditions persist despite the increased delivery of aid under the truce.

   Israel will resume its operations with "full force" as soon as the current 
deal expires if Hamas does not agree to further hostages releases, with the 
goal of eliminating the group and freeing the rest of the captives, government 
spokesperson Eylon Levy told reporters on Monday.

   Two Egyptian officials said talks are aimed at extending the cease-fire for 
another four days, with one saying that both sides have agreed in principle. 
But that official added that violence in the occupied West Bank is complicating 
matters, with Hamas demanding an end to Israeli military raids. Hundreds of 
Palestinians have been arrested and scores killed in clashes with Israeli 
forces since the war began.

   The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not 
authorized to brief the media.

   The release of dozens of people -- mostly women and children who were among 
the roughly 240 captured by Hamas and other militants during the Oct. 7 raid 
that ignited the war -- has rallied Israelis behind calls to return the rest of 
them.

   Sixty-two hostages have been released -- almost all during the current 
truce. Previously, one was also freed by Israeli forces and two were found dead 
inside Gaza.

   "We can get all hostages back home. We have to keep pushing," two relatives 
of Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl and dual Israeli-American citizen who was 
released Sunday, said in a statement.

   Hamas and other militants could still be holding up to 175 hostages --- 
enough to potentially extend the cease-fire for two and a half weeks --- but 
those include a number of soldiers, and the militants are likely to make much 
greater demands for their release.

   A THIRD RELEASE OF HOSTAGES AND PRISONERS

   On Sunday, Hamas freed 17 hostages, including 14 Israelis, and Israel 
released 39 Palestinian prisoners -- the third such exchange under the truce.

   Most hostages appeared to be physically well, but 84-year-old Elma Avraham 
was airlifted to Israel's Soroka Medical Center in life-threatening condition 
because of inadequate care, the hospital said.

   Among those released Sunday were three Thai nationals. With a total of 17 
freed, Thailand said it was pursuing the safe return of the 15 remaining Thai 
hostages, who were the largest group of non-Israelis held by the militants. 
Many Thais work in Israel, largely as farm laborers.

   The Palestinian prisoners released were mostly teenagers accused of throwing 
stones and firebombs during confrontations with Israeli forces, or of 
less-serious offenses. Many Palestinians view prisoners held by Israel, 
including those implicated in attacks, as heroes resisting occupation.

   The last planned exchange is expected on Monday.

   The freed hostages have mostly stayed out of the public eye, but details of 
their captivity have started to trickle out.

   Merav Raviv, whose three relatives were released on Friday, said they had 
been fed irregularly and lost weight. One reported eating mainly bread and rice 
and sleeping on a makeshift bed of chairs pushed together. Hostages sometimes 
had to wait for hours to use the bathroom, she said.

   RESPITE IN GAZA

   More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, roughly 
two thirds of them women and minors, according to the Health Ministry in 
Hamas-ruled Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and 
combatants. More than 1,200 people have been killed on the Israeli side, mostly 
civilians killed in the initial attack. At least 77 soldiers have been killed 
in Israel's ground offensive.

   The pause has given some respite to Gaza's 2.3 million people after weeks of 
relentless Israeli bombardment that has driven three-quarters of the population 
from their homes and leveled entire neighborhoods.

   But many say it's not nearly enough.

   Amani Taha, a widow and mother of three who fled northern Gaza to stay with 
a host family in the southern city of Rafah, said she had only managed to get 
one canned meal from a U.N. distribution center since the cease-fire began. She 
helps other families in the neighborhood cook over firewood in return for food 
for her sons, ages 4 to 10.

   She said the crowds have overwhelmed local markets and gas stations as 
people try to stock up on basics. "People were desperate and went out to buy 
whenever they could," she said. "They are extremely worried that the war will 
return."

   Iyad Ghafary, a vendor in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, 
said many families were still unable to retrieve the dead from under the rubble 
left by Israeli airstrikes, and that local authorities weren't equipped to deal 
with the level of destruction.

   Palestinians who remained in northern Gaza, which was home to more than a 
million people before the war, have emerged to scenes of widespread 
devastation, with building after building either demolished or heavily damaged. 
The Israeli military has barred Palestinians who fled south from returning.

   The U.N. says the truce made it possible to scale up the delivery of food, 
water and medicine to the largest volume since the start of the war. But the 
160 to 200 trucks a day is still less than half what Gaza was importing before 
the fighting, even as humanitarian needs have soared.