Qatar says it is hopeful that a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal could be agreed "very soon", with negotiators from Israel and Hamas beginning a "final stage" of indirect talks in Doha.

The Gaza Strip ceasefire should begin on Sunday as planned, despite the need for negotiators to tie up a "loose end" at the last minute, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

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

DOHA/CAIRO (Reuters) -Mediators gave Israel and Hamas a final ... including five killed in an Israeli strike at a Gaza City school sheltering displaced families. For the last several months, fighting has been particularly intense along the northern edge ...

If successful, the cease-fire deal would cap over a year of stop-start talks and lead to the biggest release of Israeli hostages since the early days of the conflict, when Hamas freed about half of its prisoners in exchange for 240 Palestinian detainees held by Israel.

Qatar on Monday presented Israel and Hamas with a final draft of a deal to end the Gaza war, following a midnight breakthrough in talks attended by

A source familiar with the negotiations in Doha told AFP there had been "significant progress ... territory's health ministry that the United Nations says are reliable. - Gaza City pounded - Even as intense diplomatic efforts continued towards a truce ...

The deal promises the release of dozens of hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.

By working closely with the US and other international partners, Israel can better manage Qatar’s role in Gaza while striving to minimize the risks associated with its continued support for Hamas.

Israel's deadly West Bank raids come as Qatari and Egyptian Prime Ministers could start talks over the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire

Palestinians in Gaza are confronting an apocalyptic landscape of devastation after a ceasefire paused more than 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.