The truce between Israel and Hamas entered its final 24 hours on Monday, with the militant group saying it was willing to extend the pause after freeing more hostages, including a four-year-old orphaned by its attack.

The pause that began on Friday has seen dozens of hostages freed, with over 100 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in return.

Attention has now turned to whether the truce will be extended before its scheduled end early on Tuesday morning. U.S. President Joe Biden said he is hoping the pause continues "to see more hostages come out and surge more humanitarian relief into those in need in Gaza."

There will also be ambitions for more progress in New York on Wednesday when China Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts the UN's Security Council session on the Israel-Hamas issue. "China hopes that by hosting this meeting, we can do our part to help realize a ceasefire," spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

Hamas has signaled its willingness to extend the truce, with a source saying the group told mediators they were open to prolonging it by "two to four days" with the potential of releasing of "20 to 40 Israeli prisoners."

Under the truce, 50 hostages held by the militants 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 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 French TV on Sunday.

Three successive days of hostage releases have buoyed spirits in Israel, with tearful reunions weeks after Hamas militants poured across the border on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials. In response, Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas, killing nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, according to Gaza's Hamas government. 

The third group of hostages released on Sunday included a four-year-old American citizen called Abigail whose parents were both murdered in the Hamas attacks.

Also freed was an 84-year-old woman who was rushed to intensive care in critical condition "after serious neglect," medical officials said.

Thirteen hostages were freed under the terms of the truce on Sunday in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners, who have been received by rapturous crowds waving Palestinian and Hamas flags. Hamas separately freed three Thai nationals and a Russian-Israeli citizen, Ron Krivoy, who the group said was released "in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin" and his "support of the Palestinian cause."

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Israel has faced mounting pressure to extend the pause mediated by Qatar, the U.S. 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. Israel has told Palestinians in Gaza to leave the north for the relative safety of the south, but it has now sent text messages to those in the southern city of Khan Yunis warning it knows hostages are being held there.

"The army will neutralize anyone who has kidnapped hostages," the message said.

The UN estimates that 1.7 million of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced by the fighting. The pause in fighting has allowed more aid to reach Palestinians struggling to survive with shortages of water and other essentials.

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