Israeli delegation arrives in Qatar to negotiate ceasefire in Gaza Strip

The Israeli delegation, which includes members of the military and the Mossad intelligence agency, is responsible for setting up a center to support the negotiations, the source said.

Last week, Israeli officials discussed the terms of a deal to free the hostages at talks in Paris with the United States, Egypt and Qatar. On February 25, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that the parties had reached a common understanding on the preliminary outline of a potential deal to free the hostages and a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.

Currently, the Hamas Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip and Israel are still at odds over their goals. While Hamas has said it will not release more than 100 hostages unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Gaza and ending the conflict, Israel has said it will only negotiate a temporary ceasefire to release the hostages and will not stop its ground campaign unless Hamas is dissolved and permanent security control is established in the Gaza Strip.

According to Israeli statistics, the conflict has killed 1,160 people in Israel, most of them civilians. Hamas has taken about 250 hostages and 130 are still being held in Gaza. Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health agency in Gaza said that Israel's military operations there have killed nearly 30,000 people, mostly women and children.

On the same day, the French President's Office said that President Emmanuel Macron will host the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, in Paris this week. The two sides are expected to discuss the current crisis in the Gaza Strip.

The emir is scheduled to arrive in Paris for talks on February 27, marking the first official state visit by a Qatari leader to France in 15 years. Macron's office said the two leaders would reaffirm efforts to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas and reach a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.