U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators shuttled between the Israeli and Hamas delegations in Doha on Tuesday, where officials said a deal to halt the war is near.

Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages in the first phase of the ceasefire-hostage agreement being negotiated in Doha in relation to the situation in Gaza, CNN reported on

Israeli negotiators attending ceasefire and hostage release talks in Doha have expressed “cautious optimism,” even as some gaps between both sides persist, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, his office said Saturday, in a sign of progress in talks on the war in Gaza.

Israel has continued its bombardment of Gaza near continuously since the outbreak of the war in the enclave in October 2023.

Washington optimistic on chances of closing agreement to release Israelis held by Hamas before end of Biden's term; Netanyahu huddles with security chiefs to discuss negotiations

Negotiations to secure an end to the war in Gaza and the release of the nearly 100 hostages still in the strip, have been drawn-out and labored.

Several ambassadors to Israel have joined the weekly rally in Tel Aviv of family members and supporters demanding ... the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to talks in Doha, in a sign of progress towards ending 15 months of war.

The anticipated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, began in Gaza at 11:15 local time (09:15 GMT), nearly three hours after initially scheduled. Ahram Online provides a live coverage of the events which could signal the start of the end of 470 days of a genocidal Israeli war that killed and wounded nearly 10 percent of the 2.

Qatar’s prime minister on Wednesday announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, pausing the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clearing the way for dozens of Israeli hostages to go home.

Netanyahu's office said Thursday his Cabinet won't meet to approve the Gaza ceasefire deal until Hamas backs down from what it called a "last minute crisis."