Countries with leverage on Hamas must ‘act now’ to conclude a deal, Foreign Ministry Director-General Eden Bar Tal said

Hamas on Tuesday stood by its demand that Israel fully end its assault on Gaza under any deal to release hostages and said US president-elect Donald Trump was rash to say there would be ’hell to pay’ unless they go free by his 20 January inauguration.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expresses confidence in a near-term Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange.

The family of a hostage who appears in the latest video released by Hamas has called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seize the opportunity to do a ceasefire deal, describing the footage as having “torn our hearts to pieces.

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.

President-elect Donald Trump has warned if Hamas does not release all the Israeli hostages before his inauguration "all hell will break out in the Middle East". It comes as Hamas and Israeli officials hold talks with Qatari and Egyptian mediators in the most intensive effort to reach a ceasefire

Israel said Monday that Hamas had not yet provided the status of 34 hostages the group declared it was ready to release in the first phase of a potential exchange deal.

The prime minister’s office announced on Thursday the approval of a new Israeli delegation to continue hostage negotiations in Doha, Qatar.

A new round of indirect talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal resumed in Qatar’s Doha on Friday, according to the Palestinian jihadists of Hamas. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim sought to underline the group's "seriousness" in seeking to reach a deal as soon as possible.

US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday warned that all hell will break out if Hamas did not release hostages before January 20, when he will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.

US President-elect Donald Trump has warned that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if the hostages being held by Hamas are not released by Inauguration Day, repeating the threat four times.