The fragile Hamas-Israel truce entered its final 24 hours Monday amid hopes of an extension after the Palestinian resistance group said it was willing to negotiate the release of more hostages.
The pause that began Friday has seen dozens of hostages freed, with over 100 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in return.
Attention now has turned to whether the truce will be extended before its scheduled end early on Tuesday morning.
"That's my goal, that's our goal, to keep this pause going beyond tomorrow so that we can continue to see more hostages come out and surge more humanitarian relief into those in need in Gaza," U.S. President Joe Biden said Sunday.
He said he would like the fighting to be paused for "as long as prisoners keep coming out."
"I get a sense that all the players in the region are looking for a way to end this so the hostages are all released and... Hamas is completely no longer in control of Gaza."
Hamas has signaled its willingness to extend the truce, with a source telling Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the group told mediators they were open to prolonging it by "two to four days."
"The resistance believes it is possible to ensure the release of 20 to 40 Israeli prisoners" in that time, the source close to the movement said.
Under the truce, 50 hostages held by the resistance group, Hamas, were to be freed over four days in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. A built-in mechanism extends it if at least 10 Israeli captives are released each extra day.
One potential complicating factor is the fact that some hostages are believed to be held by resistance groups other than Hamas.
Israel faces enormous pressure from the families of hostages, as well as allies, to extend the truce to secure more releases.
"It would be good, helpful and necessary" to extend the truce until all hostages, who include French nationals, are freed, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told BFMTV on Sunday.
Three successive days of hostage releases have buoyed spirits in Israel, with tearful reunions weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion.
In response, Israel launched a military campaign on the Gaza Strip, killing nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, according to the Gazan Health Ministry.
Israel has faced mounting pressure to extend the pause mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt though its leaders have been keen to dismiss any suggestions of a lasting halt to the offensive.
"We continue until the end – until victory," Netanyahu said in Gaza on Sunday, on the first visit by an Israeli premier since 2005.
His office has proposed a war budget of 30 billion shekels ($8 billion) for 90 days.
Wearing green military fatigues and surrounded by soldiers, Netanyahu vowed to free all the hostages and "eliminate Hamas," in footage posted online by his office.
"Nothing will stop us, and we are convinced that we have the power, the strength, the will and the determination to achieve all the war's goals," he said.
The top Palestinian diplomat made a plea to extend the fragile cease fire in Gaza that is hours from expiring at a meeting of European Union members and Middle Eastern and north African countries that focused on diplomatic efforts to stop the Israel-Hamas war.
"We have to find how to apply the necessary pressure so that the Israeli government does not continue killing innocent people so that we can continue counting cadavers," Riad al-Malki said in Spanish during a news conference during the gathering of diplomats in Barcelona, Spain.
He added that Qatar, Egypt, the United States, the European Union and Spain are working to extend the temporary cease-fire and that the current truce could be extended for "one, two, three days" but added that no one knew for how long.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined Monday the calls for a continuation of the cease-fire in Gaza.
"I welcome that the agreement between Hamas and Israel has led to the release of hostages and the delivery of more humanitarian aid," he said in Brussels.
"I call for an extension of the pause. This would allow for much-needed relief to the people of Gaza and the release of more hostages," he added.
Stoltenberg repeated his warning of a potential regional escalation of the conflict.
"We have seen drone and rocket strikes on U.S. positions in Syria and Iraq, as well as attacks on commercial shipping. This underlines the risk of escalation," Stoltenberg said.
"Iran must rein in its proxies," he added.
