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Added on the 31/05/2023 00:30:12 - Copyright : France 24 EN
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls for a further extension to a truce that has paused fighting between Hamas and Israel in Gaza for seven days, as the hours ticked down to its expiry. "Clearly, we want to see this process continue to move forward," he tells reporters in Tel Aviv following a visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank. "We want an eighth day and beyond." SOUNDBITE
Trucks carrying aid enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, after Israel and Hamas agreed to extend by one more day a truce under which hostages are exchanged for Palestinian prisoners and aid flows into the war-devastated Strip. IMAGES
The White House welcomes an agreement to extend a truce between Israel and Hamas by two days. "We would of course hope to see the pause extended further, and that will depend upon Hamas continuing to release hostages," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
Humanitarian aid and fuel trucks at the Rafah crossing with Egypt in the Gaza Strip. IMAGES
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg calls for a halt in the fighting in Gaza to be prolonged to allow for more aid and the release of hostages. "I call for an extension of the pause. This would allow for much needed relief to the people of Gaza and the release of more hostages," Stoltenberg tells journalists in Brussels. SOUNDBITE
Trucks carrying aid cross into the southern Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing on the second day of the truce as Hamas fighters are set to release a new wave of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. IMAGES