The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, has instructed the military to present him with "a plan for the complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza" as soon as possible. His office said on Friday that Katz believes Hamas must be completely crushed if the hostages it abducted from Israel are not released by the time US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Benjamin Netanyahu's office said representatives of the Mossad intelligence agency and military would attend the talks but gave no further details. There has been no immediate comment from Hamas. View

While Witkoff says progress made in Doha, Hamas stands by demand for permanent end to war, which Israel rejects; president-elect: 'It won't be good for anyone' if no deal by Jan. 20 The post Trump’s Mideast envoy to visit Qatar,

Israel says Hamas has not provided any information about the status of those 34 hostages, dampening any notion that the endorsement is a step toward a deal to stop the war.

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.

A total of 46,006 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed and 109,378 wounded in the Israel-Hamas war, Palestinian officials say.

The post has sparked outrage among Palestinians and Arab countries, who have called on the international community to curb Israel’s expansionist ambitions and prevent further attempts to occupy Palestinian and Arab territories.

Qatar has sent Israel "a positive message" regarding Hamas's intentions to move forward in negotiations on a hostage and ceasefire deal, according to a Friday report from Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

Palestinian officials say the war in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, as some on both sides of the conflict hope for "help from Donald Trump."

Palestinian officials say the war in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, as some on both sides of the conflict hope for "help from Donald Trump."