Israel extended the Gaza ceasefire by six weeks

Israel has extended the Gaza ceasefire for six more weeks. The first phase of the ceasefire ended on March 1, and right after that, Israel decided to add 42 more days.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas started on January 19.

The idea to extend the ceasefire came from Steve Witkoff, an envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to it, as reported by the BBC.

Israel made this decision considering Ramadan and other religious events.

During the first six weeks, Hamas freed 25 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. They also returned the bodies of eight people. In return, Israel released about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.

There is still no information about Nepal's Bipin Joshi, who is believed to be in Hamas' custody. Out of 251 hostages taken by Hamas, 58 are still being held, according to reports.