A senior Hamas official has expressed the group's desire to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza as swiftly as possible. Indirect negotiations have resumed in Doha, Qatar, with Hamas emphasizing its commitment to achieving a deal promptly.

Gaza Israel and Hamas are inching closer to a deal to pause their 15-month war in Gaza and enact a hostages-for-prisoners swap, sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations told The National on Wednesday.

An Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Qatar on Friday to continue negotiations on a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza, a source with knowledge of the talks told CNN on Friday.

The meeting was held between the gulf state’s prime minister and senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya. Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al

Hamzah AlZaydani's body was retrieved with that of his father, Yosef AlZaydani, who were taken together by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Relatives of hostages are pressuring Israel's government to reach a ceasefire with Hamas. Hamas has reportedly agreed on a list of 34 names of hostages still held in Gaza-- the people who would be freed should the ceasefire deal with the Israeli government currently under discussion in Qatar go ahead.

The body of Bedouin Arab hostage Youssef al-Zayadna was repatriated to Israel from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Israeli military said, in what it termed as a "complex and difficult operation" as mediators continue to push for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.