Hamas said it was seeking last minute changes to a 60-day ceasefire plan backed by the U.S. and approved by Israel. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff dismissed the changes as "totally unacceptable."
Ukraine's president said he hopes the U.S. applies "maximum additional sanctions" on Russia if it refuses to accept a 30-day ceasefire, describing the Russian leader's "bravado" as a stalling tactic.
Both sides agreed there would be no Hamas ceremonies for the hostage bodies and in exchange Israel would release the Palestinian detainees and prisoners whose freedom had been held up since Saturday.
Hamas says it will release three hostages on Saturday, resolving a dispute with Israel that threatened to derail the ceasefire. In exchange, Israel will free dozens of Palestinians from jail.
With a ceasefire agreement pausing the war between Israel and Hamas, Israeli troops have withdrawn from Gaza city centers. For the first time in eight months, NPR got a glimpse of Rafah this week.
After more than 15 months of relentless Israeli bombardment, Gaza has been left in ruins. If last week's ceasefire holds, rebuilding could take decades, cost tens of billions of dollars and present overwhelming obstacles.
Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on a multiphase ceasefire that commits them to end the war in Gaza, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch said.
Negotiators in Qatar are close to a ceasefire deal that sees an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees, a six-week pause in fighting and eventual troop withdrawal from Gaza.
The deal would secure release of a third of the approximately 100 hostages who remain in Gaza, including two dual U.S.-Israeli nationals. In return, Israel would release some Palestinian prisoners.
