Welcome to our live coverage of crises in the Middle East. Here's a snapshot of the latest news.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier on Friday that an agreement had been reached to repatriate hostages from the Gaza Strip. A day earlier, Netanyahu's office said talks to release hostages in exchange for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners had hit a last-minute snag.

Netanyahu said he would convene a security cabinet meeting later on Friday and then a government meeting to approve the ceasefire.

On Thursday, Netanyahu's office said the cabinet would not meet to approve a ceasefire in Gaza and release dozens of hostages until Hamas made concessions, accusing the group of violating parts of the deal in an attempt to win further concessions. .

Expand this and other news:

• Senior U.S. officials insist the hard-won ceasefire will take effect on Sunday as planned, despite unexpected delays. Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, He said he was "very confident" that the ceasefire would continue to advance and that he "fully expected it to be implemented on Sunday." He confirmed there was an "outstanding" situation between the two sides amid complex negotiations. U.S. representatives are believed to remain actively engaged in the Doha negotiations to discuss the final details needed to reach a deal.

• The vote is expected to take place on Friday morning, according to Israeli media reports. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahutough national security minister, Itama Ben Gvir, He announced late Thursday that he would quit the government if it approved a ceasefire, calling it "irresponsible" and "reckless." Bengvir's departure will not bring down Netanyahu's government. leader of the opposition Yair Lapid pledged support for Netanyahu and said the deal was "more important than any disagreement we have ever had."

• Despite expectations for a ceasefire, fighting in Gaza continues, with Israeli airstrikes killing at least 80 Palestinians and injuring hundreds since the ceasefire was announcedAccording to the Civil Defense Agency. The Israeli military said it had carried out attacks on "some 50 terrorist targets" across Gaza since Wednesday night. Civil defense teams have recovered the bodies of five children after an attack in the northern city of Jabaliya, a civil defense spokesman said.

• Israel’s military offensive on Gaza has killed more than 46,788 Palestinians and injured another 110,453 That's according to the latest data released by the region's health ministry on Thursday. In the past 24 hours, 81 people were killed and 188 injured. ActionAid said this included Fatin Shaqoura-Salha, head nurse at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuserat.

• The ceasefire announced on Wednesday will take effect on Sunday. In the first phase of the 42-day period, Hamas agreed to release 33 hostages in exchange for every female Israeli soldier Hamas releases, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners and 30 other hostages. Displaced Palestinians will be allowed to move freely around Gaza, the injured will be evacuated abroad for treatment, and aid to the area will increase to 600 trucks a day. The second phase will include Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza.

• Yemen's Houthi rebel leader Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi said the Iran-aligned Houthis will suspend attacks on Red Sea targets but will continue if Israel cancels the ceasefire. . Houthi attacks have damaged up to 30 ships and caused commercial shipping to be rerouted to South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. Retaliatory actions by the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom have damaged Yemen’s main port and resulted in multiple deaths.

• Arab states have urged Israel and the incoming Trump administration to allow the Palestinian Authority (PA) to oversee Gaza's recovery in partnership with UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA. The future governance of Gaza will be discussed at the start of the second phase of negotiations on the deal, 16 days after the ceasefire begins.