US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he hopes the four-day truce agreed between Israel and Hamas, which ends today, Monday, will last "beyond" that deadline.

"It is my goal and our goal to ensure that this pause continues beyond tomorrow, so that we can see more hostages released and more humanitarian aid delivered" to the Gaza Strip, said the US President during a speech in Massachusetts, in which he announced the release by Hamas of a four-year-old American child named Abigail.

"She's free and she's in Israel," announced Joe Biden.

The child was taken hostage on October 7 by Hamas during the attack on Israel that triggered the conflict. According to White House adviser Jake Sullivan, the girl "saw her parents killed in front of her".

"She suffered a terrible trauma," lamented the US president, quoted by Sapo 24.

According to the Israeli authorities, the Hamas attack killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians.

According to the same source, around 240 people were kidnapped during the attack and taken to the Gaza Strip.

In retaliation, Israel declared a war to "annihilate" Hamas and bombed the Gaza Strip incessantly. According to the latest figures from the Hamas government, 15,000 people have been killed in that enclave, including 6,150 children and young people under the age of 18.

Israel and Hamas agreed, under the mediation of Qatar, to a renewable four-day truce in the fighting and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas ready to extend humanitarian truce agreement

Hamas is willing to extend the humanitarian truce agreement with Israel, which expires on Monday.

"Hamas has informed the mediators that the resistance movements are willing to extend the current truce by two to four days," a source close to the Palestinian Islamist movement told AFP on Sunday.

The group wants to increase the number of Palestinian prisoners released, according to the same source.

"The resistance believes that it is possible to secure the release of another 20 to 40 Israeli hostages," in addition to the 50 to be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, he added.

So far, 117 Palestinian prisoners have been released and around 40 are expected to be released this Monday.