Palestinian Authority top diplomat urges extension of Israel-Hamas truce

Palestinian Authority foreign minister Riad al-Malki says the pause in fighting that is set to expire tonight in the Israel-Hamas war must be extended to avoid more deaths in Gaza.

“We have work so that this truce continues… so that Israel does not continue attacking,” al-Malki says at a meeting of delegations from members of the European Union and countries from nNh Africa and the Middle East in Barcelona, Spain.

“The truce went into effect with 15,000 deaths. If we see the war resume, then the number of deaths will double because the concentration of the population is now twicefold,” he says, citing unverified numbers claimed by Hamas that do not distinguish between civilians and terrorists, and include civilians killed by misfired Palestinian rockets.

“The population of Gaza has concentrated in the south of Gaza,” he says, speaking in Spanish, referring to the Israel-ordered evacuation of northern Gaza aimed at minimizing civilian casualties. “So any attack that before killed one child will now kill two. That is why it is important to extend this truce.”

Al-Malki is one of 42 representatives of different countries and territories attending the Union for the Mediterranean meeting, which is focused on the war that has raged since the Hamas massacres in Israel on October 7.

The pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas continued yesterday with a third day of releases of Gaza hostages and Palestinian prisoners accused or convicted of terrorism. It is scheduled for four days and what comes after today remains uncertain.