TEL AVIV — Israel and Hamas’s pause in fighting is “producing results” and facilitating the freeing of hostages, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday as he met with Israeli leaders, starting a day of discussions in which he hopes to extend the current pause and improve conditions for civilians in Gaza. Israel and Hamas announced early Thursday they would extend the pause in fighting, with Qatar, which has been mediating negotiations, saying the extension would last another day. Hamas freed 16 hostages and Israel released 30 imprisoned Palestinians on Wednesday, and both sides are expected to release more on Thursday. Israeli officials have maintained that any continuation will be only to allow more hostages to be exchanged for prisoners and will not lead to a more permanent cease-fire.