During its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, Hamas and other groups took about 250 people hostages and brought them to Gaza. A previous truce in November 2023 freed more than 100 hostages, while others have been rescued or their remains have been recovered over the past year.

After months of deadlock, Israel and Hamas appear to be moving closer toward a ceasefire to end their 14-month war.

Reports also surfaced of an Israeli delegation heading to Cairo to further talks, which have since been denied by Israeli officials.