As Israel and Hamas move closer to a ceasefire agreement, Israel says it wants to maintain troops in a southern corridor of the Gaza Strip — a condition that could derail the talks.

A US special envoy said a Gaza deal was close, and that a 60-day ceasefire and the return of 10 surviving hostages could be announced this week.

The war started after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Most of the hostages have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

PEZESKHIAN’S PONTIFICATION: Iranian President MASOUD PEZESHKIAN is blaming Israel for spreading false narratives in its conflict with his country in an interview with conservative commentator TUCKER CARLSON that dropped today, our colleague Nicole Markus writes in.

The Israeli military says five soldiers were killed in an attack in northern Gaza, while health officials in the Palestinian territory say Israeli strikes killed 51 people.