As the extended Gaza truce enters its final day, regional countries and the US are continuing talks to prolong the pause in the Israel-Hamas conflict, CNN reported.
"During discussions Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, officials representing Israel, the United States, Qatar, and Egypt were in agreement about working towards extending the current pause in the Israel-Hamas war to get more hostages out of Gaza," the US media outlet reported, citing an unnamed source familiar with the discussions.
According to the source, if all goes well on Wednesday, the sixth day of the ceasefire, and Hamas releases at least 10 Israeli captives as planned, Hamas might prepare an extra list of prisoners for the following day, prolonging the halt for another 24 hours.
"Negotiators believe there are enough women and children in Hamas captivity to extend the truce by two additional days before the discussion turns to men and soldier hostages."
The UN cautioned on Wednesday that humanitarian aid in Gaza was "inadequate to meet the extensive needs."
On the other hand, the World Health Organisation has warned of further deaths in Gaza owing to illnesses and a crippled healthcare system.
"Some communicable diseases and conditions, such as diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections, and hygiene-related conditions like lice, have seen significant increases." There have also been reports of illness outbreaks, including hepatitis, according to the UN.