The meeting was thought to be the first meeting between a senior Israeli official and Qatari officials since Hamas's response to the hostage deal proposal.

Hamas said any coordination with the Red Cross is contingent upon Israel permanently opening humanitarian corridors and halting airstrikes during the distribution of aid.

Hamas’s declared plan to relocate hostages into Gaza City to use them as human shields may present a serious deterrent to an IDF operation into the city, Lt.-Col. (Res.) Alon Eviatar, an expert in Palestinian affairs, said on Monday.

"The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be," US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social. US President Donald Trump said that the remaining Gaza hostages will only be returned when "Hamas is confronted and destroyed" in a post to Truth Social on Monday.

Hostage,” first published in Hebrew earlier this year, has become the fastest selling book in Israeli history.

A key mediator on Gaza is stressing the urgency of brokering a ceasefire after Hamas showed a "positive response" to a proposal.