Israel and Hamas are believed to have agreed that 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others should be freed during the first 60 days of a cease-fire, but they have not reached a consensus on how many Palestinian prisoners should be released during the same period. Up to 20 hostages are still thought to be alive.

But it added: "In light of an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the invitation to proximity talks be accepted and that the contacts for the return of our hostages - on the basis of the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to - be continued. The negotiating team will leave tomorrow."