DATE UNDEFINED – A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered its final hours on Friday as more hostages were freed from Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

The militant group agreed to further extend the ceasefire, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the pause to continue.

But as of early Friday morning there was no sign of whether the two sides would agree to extend the pause in fighting for an eighth day, and Blinken also used his visit to Israel to urge that any resumption of military operations protect Palestinian civilians should protect.

The ceasefire, which is due to expire early on Friday local time, has paused fighting that began on October 7 when Hamas militants broke through the Gaza Strip’s militarized border with Israel.

According to Israeli authorities, the surprise attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants kidnapped about 240.

In response, Israel pledged to eliminate Hamas and launched a military air and ground campaign in Gaza that the Hamas government said killed more than 15,000 people, mostly civilians.

Since the start of a Qatar-brokered ceasefire, 80 Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

More than 20 foreigners, most of them Thais living in Israel, were released outside the scope of the agreement.

Six more Israelis, some with dual citizenship, were released overnight, hours after two women were released.

That brought the total number of people released on Thursday to eight, fewer than the 10 hostages per day that Hamas must release under the ceasefire agreement. A source close to the militant group said it counted two Russian-Israeli women released in the seventh group on Wednesday.

The release brought relief for Keren Shem, whose daughter Mia was among those released. The family released footage showing Keren crying with joy as she was informed by phone of her daughter’s imminent release.

“Mia is coming back,” she called.

“WE WANT AN EIGHTH DAY”

Shortly after the hostages arrived in Israel, the country’s prison service said another 30 Palestinian prisoners – 23 minors and seven women – had been released.

After meeting with leaders in Israel and the occupied West Bank, Blinken said Washington wanted to “see this process move forward.”

“We want an eighth day and more.”

A source close to Hamas said the group supported a further extension and that “mediators are currently making strong, intensive and sustained efforts to extend the ceasefire for another day and then work to extend it again for more days.” “

Israel has made clear that it sees the ceasefire as a temporary pause to ensure the release of hostages and that it plans to resume fighting.

“We swore to eliminate Hamas and nothing will stop us,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video released by his office after meeting with Blinken.

But his government is coming under increasing pressure to account for how it will protect civilians in the blockaded area where there is no means of escape.

Blinken warned that any resumption of Israel’s military operation “must put in place humanitarian civil defense plans that minimize further casualties of innocent Palestinians.”

In particular, Israel must “clearly and precisely” designate areas “in southern and central Gaza where they can be safe and out of the line of fire,” he said.

International organizations have called for more time to get medical supplies, food and fuel to Gaza, where an estimated 1.7 million people have been displaced from their homes.

The ceasefire allowed people to return to the ruins of their homes to search the rubble for their remaining belongings, but also provided a sense of security after weeks of daily bombardment.

“We fear that the ceasefire will end and the problems and bombings will begin again,” Gaza City resident Mohamad Naasan told AFP on Thursday.

“I hope that the ceasefire will be resumed… so that peace reigns and we all return home.”

REPORT: ISRAEL had intelligence in attack

But the lull in fighting has not eased violence elsewhere.

On Thursday morning, two gunmen opened fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem, killing three people in an attack claimed by Hamas.

The gunmen, who police said were from annexed East Jerusalem, were shot dead at the scene.

Two Israeli soldiers were slightly injured in a ramming attack on a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the army said, adding that the attacker was also “shot and neutralized.”

The violence in Gaza has also increased tensions in the West Bank, where nearly 240 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since October 7, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry.

The New York Times reported overnight that Israeli authorities knew Hamas was planning a major attack and had received a plan for the attack, which the group appeared to have largely followed on October 7.

The newspaper said the plan called for rocket fire, followed by efforts to knock out surveillance and then a wave of militants pouring into Israel – all elements of the Oct. 7 attack.

However, according to the report, intelligence and military officials dismissed the plan as ambitious, even after a signals analyst warned that the group had conducted a training exercise consistent with the plan.