Israel and Hamas ceasefire extension to secure release of 20 more hostages

Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend a ceasefire by an additional two days as part of a deal that will include the group's release of more hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, a senior White House official confirmed.

The ceasefire will be extended through Thursday morning in Israel, and will include the release of an additional 20 hostages by Hamas, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

The current ceasefire started last Friday and was set to end Monday before both sides agreed to the extension. As part of the initial deal Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages on Friday and an additional 26 hostages over the weekend, including four-year-old Avigail Idan, a dual Israeli-U.S. citizen whose parents were killed in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.