The body of Youssef Ziyadne, and possibly that of his son, was found after a "complex and difficult operation," an official said.

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.

Israeli strikes killed dozens of people across Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinian medics said, as talks to halt the fighting continued in Qatar and Israeli troops recovered the body of at least one hostage from a tunnel near the southern city of Rafah.

Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed over 45,800 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. It does not say how many were fighters,

Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza killed at least 17 people late Tuesday, nearly all of them women or children, the territory’s Health Ministry and hospital officials said. Five kids were killed as they sheltered together in the same tent,