Israel Gaza Truce

Mediators seeking a Gaza ceasefire are set to propose a truce of under a month to Palestinian operator Hamas, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Wednesday.

Israel's Mossad chief is set to visit Qatar to discuss the release of hostages in Gaza, even as Egypt proposed a two-day truce in the Palestinian enclave, as regional tensions simmered.

Egypt has proposed an initial two-day ceasefire in Gaza to exchange four Israeli hostages of Hamas for some Palestinian prisoners, Egypt's president said on Sunday as Israeli military strikes killed 45 Palestinians across the enclave.

Israel said Thursday its spy chief will attend Gaza ceasefire talks and Hamas vowed to stop fighting if a truce is reached, as long-stalled efforts to end the war appeared to gain momentum.

For Hamas, the hostages are key bargaining chips in negotiations with Israel aiming to secure a truce and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Newly freed from an Israeli prison, Wael Masha rode atop friends' shoulders through the streets of his West Bank refugee camp before bursting into his home to kiss his mother's feet.

For Hamas, the hostages are key bargaining chips to negotiate a truce with Israel and seek the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant offered his support for a hostage release agreement in the first phase of a Gaza truce deal, saying it would give Israel a "strategic opportunity" to address other security challenges.

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza entered its 12th month Saturday with little sign of respite for the Palestinian territory or hope for Israeli hostages still held captive.

Hamas called on the United States Thursday to "exert real pressure" on Israel to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was no deal in the making.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday urged both Israel and Hamas to finalize a Gaza truce, standing by US assessments that 90 percent of a deal was ready.

Crowds of Palestinians gathered at medical centers in the south of the embattled Gaza Strip on Thursday to have their children vaccinated against polio, the start of the second stage of a campaign that has so far seen 187,000 youngsters inoculated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Hamas had rejected all elements of a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza that would help facilitate the release of hostages.

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his New Zealand counterpart Chris Luxon on Monday said they were united in calling for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict in Gaza and finding a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

A senior Hamas official said Sunday that several of the six Israeli hostages found dead in a Gaza tunnel had been "approved" for release in the event of a truce deal.

Mediators seeking a Gaza ceasefire are set to propose a truce of under a month to Palestinian operator Hamas, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Wednesday.

Israel's Mossad chief is set to visit Qatar to discuss the release of hostages in Gaza, even as Egypt proposed a two-day truce in the Palestinian enclave, as regional tensions simmered.

Egypt has proposed an initial two-day ceasefire in Gaza to exchange four Israeli hostages of Hamas for some Palestinian prisoners, Egypt's president said on Sunday as Israeli military strikes killed 45 Palestinians across the enclave.

Israel said Thursday its spy chief will attend Gaza ceasefire talks and Hamas vowed to stop fighting if a truce is reached, as long-stalled efforts to end the war appeared to gain momentum.

For Hamas, the hostages are key bargaining chips in negotiations with Israel aiming to secure a truce and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Newly freed from an Israeli prison, Wael Masha rode atop friends' shoulders through the streets of his West Bank refugee camp before bursting into his home to kiss his mother's feet.

For Hamas, the hostages are key bargaining chips to negotiate a truce with Israel and seek the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant offered his support for a hostage release agreement in the first phase of a Gaza truce deal, saying it would give Israel a "strategic opportunity" to address other security challenges.

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza entered its 12th month Saturday with little sign of respite for the Palestinian territory or hope for Israeli hostages still held captive.

Hamas called on the United States Thursday to "exert real pressure" on Israel to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was no deal in the making.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday urged both Israel and Hamas to finalize a Gaza truce, standing by US assessments that 90 percent of a deal was ready.

Crowds of Palestinians gathered at medical centers in the south of the embattled Gaza Strip on Thursday to have their children vaccinated against polio, the start of the second stage of a campaign that has so far seen 187,000 youngsters inoculated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Hamas had rejected all elements of a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza that would help facilitate the release of hostages.

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his New Zealand counterpart Chris Luxon on Monday said they were united in calling for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict in Gaza and finding a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

A senior Hamas official said Sunday that several of the six Israeli hostages found dead in a Gaza tunnel had been "approved" for release in the event of a truce deal.