Hamas’s leader Ismail Haniyeh says they are “close to reaching a truce agreement”. There has been no update from Israel.
Haniyeh issued a statement saying the group is nearing what he called a “truce agreement” with Israel.
He however didn’t say what form a truce would take but a Hamas official told Al Jazeera negotiations had centred on how long it would last, aid deliveries into Gaza and the exchange of the hostages for Palestinian prisoners
The deal could see Hamas returning hostages in exchange for Israel’s release of jailed Palestinians, according to AFP and Al Jazeera.
US President Joe Biden had earlier indicated a deal could soon be agreed that would involve Hamas releasing hostages from Gaza in exchange for pauses in fighting
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which helped facilitate previous deals, has further raised hopes by saying its head is meeting Hamas
Elsewhere, the Palestinian news agency Wafa says at least 17 people have been killed in an air strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza overnight – Israel is yet to comment on this.
Earlier, the director of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital, which has become a focal point of the fighting, said “intermittent shooting” had continued into the night.
The head of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital has told the BBC that “intermittent shooting” is still being heard at the site, where 500 patients remain inside
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says 13,300 people have been killed in the territory since Israel started its campaign
Israel began attacking Gaza after Hamas fighters crossed the border on 7 October and went on to kill 1,200 Israelis while taking more than 200 others hostage.
