Israeli ambassador says pause in fighting could extend ‘day by day’

Michael Herzog, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., said Sunday that the cease-fire agreement between Israel and the militant group Hamas could extend “day by day” as more Israeli hostages have been released in the recent days. 

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Herzog told anchor Dana Bash that the ongoing cease-fire between the two sides “is working,” noting the number of hostages released by Hamas in the four-day period. 

“This is the third day that we see the release of hostages. And we welcome the release of each and every one of them and would like to see more,” Herzog told Bash. “Tomorrow is the fourth day. And if Hamas is willing to or able to release additional hostages, then there will be an extended pause.”

Herzog also told Bash that he could see the cease-fire agreement between the two sides extend each coming day, noting the key here is to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by the militant group.

“It could be extended day by day,” Herzog said. “We — the deal was 50 hostages, four days of pause.” 

“And for each and every — if they produce 10 hostages, they get another day of pause. So that’s the key,” he added. “That’s the deal. And we will see tomorrow if they are willing to release additional hostages.” 

Herzog’s remarks comes as the Israeli military announced Sunday that 17 people — 14 Israelis and three foreign nationals — were released from Hamas’s captivity in Gaza. The ages of the released Israeli citizens range from 4 to 84 years old.

This is the latest round of hostages to be freed amid the four-day cease-fire between Israel and the militant group; 50 hostages were expected to be released by Monday. Twenty-four of them were released in the first wave Friday, and an additional 17 were released the following day.