Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, said on Wednesday that he welcomed the potential for “a dialogue” with Hamas and heaped praise on Qatar for helping facilitate the cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza, despite facing scrutiny for previous ties to the Gulf nation.

Releases are part of ceasefire's first phaseSoldiers being released were at observation post near Gaza200 Palestinian prisoners expected to be releasedHamas released

The cease-fire between Hamas and Israel is expected to go into effect on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. local time, Qatar’s foreign ministry announced Saturday.

For the Islamist militant group, armed struggle now looks like a dead end. Its future in Gaza depends on the civilian politburo.

In a rare move hours after the cease-fire took effect, one senior Hamas official said the group wants to engage the new Trump administration.

Qatar’s foreign ministry says the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on Sunday.

Qatar has handed over drafts of a possible ceasefire agreement to both Hamas and Israel, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday, adding that this is the closest point to a deal over the past months.

Four female Israeli soldier hostages were released by Hamas in the second prisoners swap since their recent ceasefire agreement.

Qatar's prime minister said Tuesday that a lasting peace in Gaza would depend on Israel and Hamas acting in "good faith", days into a fragile truce in the Palestinian territory mediated by the ...

Mughrabi and Dawoud Abu Alkas JERUSALEM/CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) -The Palestinian militant movement Hamas released four female Israeli soldier hostages on Saturday in return for 200 Palestinian prisoners,

The Palestinian militant movement Hamas released four female Israeli soldier hostages on Saturday in return for 200 Palestinian prisoners, in keeping with the ceasefire agreement in the 15-month-old war in Gaza.