Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to send a team of negotiators to discuss a hostage release deal with Hamas. The head of Israel's Mossad spy agency will lead the delegation to Doha, Qatar, for talks aimed at reaching a long-stalled ceasefire agreement.
The move comes as the death toll in Gaza surpasses 38,000 on Thursday and its inhabitants facing dire conditions. Both Israel and Hamas are facing increased international pressure to reach a truce.
According to an Israeli official, Prime Minister Netanyahu has authorised the team to continue talks, which have previously stalled over Hamas' insistence that Israel agree to an end to the war and full withdrawal of its troops from Gaza.
The Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, told news agency AP that Netanyahu has reiterated his position that Israel will not end the war until it reaches its goals of destroying Hamas' military and governing capabilities and returning all hostages held in Gaza.
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