Hamas benefitting from cease-fire is a 'real risk': Kirby
While the cease-fire extension is expected to bring the release of additional hostages, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged there's a "real risk" that Hamas could benefit the longer the cease-fire continues.
![PHOTO: An Israeli soldier stands next to military vehicles near the Israel-Gaza border during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel](https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/3916d50e-e842-4f4a-92ab-5af7d3897957/israel-soldier-gaza_1701058433626_hpMain_3x2.jpg)
"Without getting into intelligence issues," Kirby said, "any pause in the fighting could benefit your enemy in terms of time to refit, to rest your fighters, to rearm them, reequip them."
Kirby said the cease-fire is a "calculated risk" that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to take to get hostages out, and that military operations will resume against Hamas leadership.
-ABC News' Molly Nagle