Negotiations are underway between Israel and Hamas through mediators to potentially extend the Gaza truce. The truce, which has already been extended for two days, is set to end soon and fighting will resume if a deal is not reached. On Wednesday, the families of Israeli hostages were informed of the names of those due to be released later in the day. This will be the final group to be freed under the truce, unless negotiators are successful in extending it. In return, Gaza's Hamas rulers have published a list of 15 women and 15 teenagers to be released from Israeli jails, which for the first time includes Palestinian citizens of Israel as well as residents of occupied territory.

Both sides have expressed a willingness to prolong the truce, but no agreement has been made yet. Discussions are ongoing with mediators Egypt and Qatar. Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy stated that Israel would consider any serious proposal, but declined to provide further details. Levy emphasized the sensitive nature of the negotiations, with human lives hanging in the balance.

So far, Gaza terrorists have released 60 Israeli women and children out of the 240 hostages they captured on October 7. Additionally, 21 foreigners, mainly Thai farmworkers, were freed under separate parallel deals. In return, Israel has released 180 Palestinian security detainees, all women and teenagers. The truce has been extended twice already, and Israel says it is willing to prolong it further as long as Hamas releases 10 hostages a day. However, with fewer women and children left in captivity, it may require negotiating the release of Israeli men for the first time.

The current truce has provided the first respite in the war between Israel and Hamas, which was launched by Israel to annihilate Hamas after a deadly rampage on October 7. Israeli bombardment has devastated much of Gaza, with over 15,000 confirmed deaths, 40% of them children, according to Palestinian health authorities. The truce has held for six days, with minor violations reported by both sides. However, both sides are prepared for war to resume with full intensity once the truce ends.

During the truce, Qatar hosted a meeting between the spy chiefs from Israel's Mossad and the U.S. CIA. They discussed possible parameters for a new phase of the truce, including the release of Israeli men or soldiers held hostage by Hamas. They also explored the requirements for a longer-lasting ceasefire. No immediate word was given on whether the final group released on Wednesday would include the youngest hostage, 10-month-old baby Kfir Bibas, who was omitted from the previous group. The truce is still holding as of Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for Israel's military.

The truce has allowed aid to reach Gaza, which had been under a total Israeli siege. Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas after the deadly rampage on October 7, in which Hamas gunmen killed around 1,200 people and captured 240 hostages. Since then, the Israeli bombardment has caused widespread destruction and displacement. More than two-thirds of Gaza's population have lost their homes, and supplies are running out. Thousands of families are sleeping in makeshift shelters with only the belongings they can carry.

As Israel released the final detainees under the truce, clashes broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinians waiting outside Ofer prison in the West Bank. One Palestinian was killed during the incident. Israel added an additional 50 Palestinian women to its list of detainees cleared for release under the truce. This indicates that Israel is open to negotiating for the release of more hostages under further extensions.

The negotiations for extending the truce are ongoing, and the fate of the hostages and the future of the conflict hang in the balance.