Hamas open to temporary Gaza truce extension as expiry nears

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A truce between Israel and Hamas has entered its final hour as more hostages were freed from Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, AFP reports.

The group said it was willing to extend the truce further, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the pause to continue.

But there was no sign early Friday of whether the two sides would reach terms to extend the halt in fighting for an eighth day.

And with just an hour until the pause was due to end, Israel’s military said it had intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza, the first launched from the territory since a missile fired minutes into the truce’s first day.

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