INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: The fragile four-day ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas is set to end on Monday
Two swaps have happened so far with Hamas releasing 41 hostages and Israel freeing 78 Palestinian prisoners, a third swap is expected to
happen before the deadline.Under the agreement, Hamas has agreed to release around 50 hostages while Israel will release around 150
Palestinian prisoners as well as allow aid to enter Gaza
As the deadline nears, here are a few scenarios that may unfold:Agreement and ceasefire is extendedHamas is suspected of having taken at
least 250 hostages during its deadly October 7 attack
If all goes well and a third swap takes place by Monday, that still leaves around 200 hostages in the hands of the militant group.Israel has
agreement.Meanwhile, a Hamas official was quoted by Al Jazeera as stating that the group was willing to release all the hostages if Israel
was willing to free all Palestinian prisoners
Rough estimates suggest there are around 8,000 Palestinians currently in Israeli custody.Hamas can easily buy at least 20 more days of
relief from Israeli military operations, which could give it time to regroup and recover
If you give us another day, there are a few in the north that we can find," Shira Efron, a senior researcher at Israel Policy Forum, a New
York-based political research group, told The New York Times.US president Joe Biden, a staunch ally of Israel, on Friday said "the chances
are real" for extending the truce, as he urged a broader effort to achieve a two-state solution with a viable Palestinian state existing
alongside Israel.Under pressure, Israel scales back military operationsThere is also extreme domestic pressure on the Benjamin Netanyahu
government to get the hostages released even if it means scaling back military operations in Gaza and foregoing its stated goal of
'eradicating Hamas'.A day after an initial successful exchange of hostages and prisoners between Israel and Hamas, thousands of Israelis
gathered in front of the central military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Saturday to keep pressure on the government to prioritise the return
27, who participated in the demonstration.It was the fourth week in a row of demonstrations calling for the government to make the freeing
of the hostages its top priority.A longer ceasefire will also increase diplomatic pressure on Israel to not resume extensive bombarding of
the Gaza Strip."Time works against Israel
On one hand you want all the hostages out knowing that you can't get them out militarily and on the other you don't want to lose completely
the momentum of this war," Andreas Krieg, of King's College London, told AFP.Israel resumes Gaza bombardmentThe Israeli military, however,
seems determined to pursue its objective of "crushing" Hamas.Israel-Hamas war update: Ceasefire, yes, but the war will go on, says Benjamin
NetanyahuDefence minister Yoav Gallant insisted the timeline for the truce was "short"
"It won't take weeks, it will take days, more or less," he said, flanked by heavily armed soldiers
"Any further negotiations will take place under fire."An Israeli military official said the country was committed to freeing as many
hostages as possible but expressed concern that the longer the truce lasts the more time Hamas has to "rebuild its capabilities and attack
Israel again".If Israel decides to resume military operations, it is expected that Hamas may kill some hostages in retribution, which is
likely to further flare domestic dissent against Netanyahu and his war cabinet
It might also trigger the Israeli military to take stricter action in Gaza.Israel expands military opsIsrael has vowed to destroy Hamas
wherever it exists and its military intelligence has suggested that the group's most important leaders, Yayha Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, are
somewhere in the south, along with thousands of fighters and, probably, a significant number of Israeli hostages.So far, the Israeli
military has confined its operations to northern Gaza Strip but if it decides to do to the south what it's already done to the north,
casualties on both sides may skyrocket.The US has repeatedly warned Israel that it may get stuck in guerilla warfare that could result in
the deaths of tens of thousands of Israeli troops.International support for Israel is also likely to dry up fast, if the humanitarian
conditions in Gaza further deteriorate.(With inputs from agencies)WatchEmotional scenes as Hamas and Israel swap hostages and prisoners amid
