Doha (AFP) – Despite “minimal breaches” in the Israel-Hamas truce — which has over the past five days allowed the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israel — “the agreement is still ongoing” says a Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson. Speaking during a two-day extension to the initial truce, Majed Al-Ansari says the Gulf state, a mediator in the conflict, hopes for “a sustainable truce”. The current pause in fighting is the first since October 7, when Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israeli settlements, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping a further 240. Israel’s response, a sustained air and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip, has killed nearly 15,000, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.
