Israel-Hamas truce 'producing results', should continue: Blinken

US State Secretary Antony Blinken has said that the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas has “produced results” and that the ceasefire should continue.

Blinken’s comments came during his third visit to Israel. “We have seen over the last week the very positive development of hostages coming home, being reunited with their families,” Blinken said at a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv.

“It’s also enabled an increase in humanitarian assistance to go to innocent civilians in Gaza who need it desperately.

“So this process is producing results. It’s important, and we hope that it can continue.”

On Thursday, Israel and Hamas confirmed the extension of the truce for the seventh day minutes before it was set to expire.

Blinken, in the region for a third time since the war began, is also expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah.

Before he arrived, Blinken said his trip would focus on extending the truce to ensure the release of more hostages and the continued delivery of aid into the Gaza Strip.

Inching closer to the deadline, negotiators in Qatar, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, were discussing details of a potential extension.

Moments ahead of the expiry of the truce on Thursday, Hamas said negotiations were at an impasse, claiming Israel refused an offer to extend the truce in exchange for receiving seven detained women and children and the bodies of three deceased women or children who Hamas claim were killed by Israeli bombardment.

With inputs from agencies