Relatives of hostages are pressuring Israel's government to reach a ceasefire with Hamas. Hamas has reportedly agreed on a list of 34 names of hostages still held in Gaza-- the people who would be freed should the ceasefire deal with the Israeli government currently under discussion in Qatar go ahead.

Israel and Hamas are once again struggling to reach a ceasefire that could wind down the 15-month war in Gaza and bring home dozens of Israelis held hostage.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that its troops recovered the body of a hostage in Gaza and brought it back to Israel following a "complex and difficult operation".Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in an online briefing that troops carried out what he described as a "complex and difficult special operation" to retrieve the body.

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.