Ramallah, Nov 27 (IANS): Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki has said that the pause in fighting that is set to expire on Monday in the Israel-Hamas war must be extended to avoid more deaths in Gaza, the media reported.

"We have work so that this truce continues… so that Israel does not continue attacking," al-Malki added at a meeting of delegations from members of the European Union and countries from Africa and the Middle East in Barcelona, Spain.

"The truce went into effect with 15,000 deaths. If we see the war resume, then the number of deaths will double because the concentration of the population is now twicefold," he said, citing unverified numbers claimed by Hamas, and include civilians killed by misfired Palestinian rockets.

"The population of Gaza has concentrated in the south of Gaza," he added, referring to the Israel-ordered evacuation of northern Gaza aimed at minimising civilian casualties.

"So any attack that before killed one child will now kill two. That is why it is important to extend this truce."

Al-Malki is one of 42 representatives of different countries and territories attending the Union for the Mediterranean meeting, which is focused on the war that has raged since the Hamas massacres in Israel on October 7, The Times of Israel reported.

The pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas continued on Sunday with a third day of releases of Gaza hostages and Palestinian prisoners accused or convicted of terrorism. It is scheduled for four days and what comes after today remains uncertain.