Israel and Hamas agree to extend truce for a further day

It comes as Israel released another group of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 16 hostages freed earlier by Hamas in Gaza

A mini-bus carrying Israeli hostages released by Hamas and Israeli military personnel arrives at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel (Leo Correa/AP)

Israel and Hamas agreed to extend a temporary truce by another day minutes before it was set to expire on Thursday morning, mediator Qatar has said.

Negotiations on extending it came down to the wire, with last-minute disagreements over the hostages to be freed by Hamas in exchange for another day of a halt in fighting.