UNDEFINED – The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered its final 24 hours on Monday. The militant group agreed to extend the pause after releasing more hostages, including a four-year-old orphaned in the attack.

During the standoff that began Friday, dozens of hostages were released, and in return, Israel released over 100 Palestinian prisoners.

Attention now turns to whether the ceasefire will be extended before its scheduled end early Tuesday morning.

“That is my goal, that is our goal, to maintain this pause beyond tomorrow so that more hostages continue to be released and more humanitarian assistance is provided to those in need in Gaza,” US President Joe Biden said on Sunday.

He said he wanted a pause in the fighting “as long as prisoners continue to come out.”

“I have the feeling that all actors in the region are looking for a way to end this so that all the hostages are released and … Hamas is no longer in control of Gaza.”

Hamas has signaled its willingness to extend the ceasefire. A source told AFP the group had told mediators it was open to an extension of “two to four days”.

“The resistance believes it is possible to secure the release of 20 to 40 Israeli prisoners,” the source close to the movement said.

Under the ceasefire, 50 hostages held by the militants were to be released within four days in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. A built-in mechanism extends the deadline if at least 10 Israeli prisoners are released each additional day.

A potentially complicating factor is the fact that some hostages are believed to be held by groups other than Hamas.

Israel is under enormous pressure from the families of the hostages and its allies to extend the ceasefire to secure further releases.

“It would be good, helpful and necessary” to extend the ceasefire until all hostages, including French nationals, are released, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told BFMTV on Sunday.

Three consecutive days of hostage releases have boosted spirits in Israel, with tearful reunions weeks after Hamas militants poured across the border on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

In response, Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas, killing nearly 15,000 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, according to the Hamas government.

The third group of hostages released Sunday included a four-year-old American citizen named Abigail, whose parents were both murdered in the Hamas attacks.

“What a joy to see her with us. But on the other hand, it is a pity that she returns to the reality of not having parents,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“She has no parents, but she has a whole nation that embraces her,” he added.

Among those released Sunday was an 84-year-old woman who was admitted to the intensive care unit in critical condition “after severe neglect,” medical officials said.

As part of the ceasefire, thirteen hostages were released on Sunday in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners, greeted by enthusiastic crowds waving Palestinian and Hamas flags.

Hamas separately released three Thai nationals and a Russian-Israeli citizen, Ron Krivoy, who the group said was released “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin” and his “support of the Palestinian cause.”

ASSEMBLY PRESSURE

Israel is facing increasing pressure to extend the pause brokered by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, although its leadership has been keen to reject any suggestions for a permanent halt to the offensive.

“We will continue until the end – until victory,” Netanyahu said Sunday in Gaza, the first visit by an Israeli prime minister since 2005.

His office has proposed a 90-day war budget of 30 billion shekels ($8 billion).

Netanyahu, wearing green military uniforms and surrounded by soldiers, vowed to release all hostages and “eliminate Hamas” in footage posted online by his office.

“Nothing will stop us and we are confident that we have the power, strength, will and determination to achieve all war objectives,” he said.

Elsewhere in Gaza, residents searched for belongings in piles of rubble where houses once stood after weeks of bombardment.

“I came to see if there was anything left, if I could save anything. We fled with nothing,” Oussama al Bass said as he inspected the ruins of his home in Al-Zahra, south of Gaza City.

“Everything is lost,” he said. “We are tired. That’s enough. We can’t take it anymore.”

On the outskirts of Gaza City, families made their way south on foot, pushing their luggage and relatives in wheelchairs and carrying children in their arms.

Israel has told Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to leave the north for the relatively safe south, but now it has sent text messages to people in the southern city of Khan Yunis warning that it knows hostages are being held there.

“The army will neutralize anyone who kidnapped hostages,” the statement said.

The United Nations estimates that 1.7 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million people have been displaced by the fighting.

The lull in fighting has allowed more aid to reach Palestinians struggling to survive amid shortages of water and other essential supplies.

Bbut Adnan Abu Hansa, a spokesman for the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), warned of “unprecedented” humanitarian needs.

“We should send 200 trucks a day continuously for at least two months,” he said.