Israel started tightening the noose in May with an effort to flush out militants and destroy the extensive tunnel system where Hamas has hidden fighters, hostages and weapons throughout the conflict. The strategy was to cut off sections of the underground web from one another, said Israeli military officials.

Qatar’s leader cautioned that the Gaza cease-fire has reached a “critical moment” on Saturday, claiming that international mediators are working “to force the way forward” to the second phase of the fragile peace deal.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told an international conference in the Qatari capital that international mediators, led by the U.S., are working toward the second phase of peace deal.

Israel launched a military strike after it said Hamas militants attacked its soldiers, the latest clashes in the two months since a truce was signed.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza remains in effect as Gaza's residents face hunger, flooding and the onset of a bitter winter.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel on Tuesday said it had received remains handed over by Palestinian fighters in Gaza to the Red Cross. They were believed to be remains of one of the two hostages still in the territory: an Israeli and a Thai national.

Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye, key guarantors of the Gaza cease-fire, urged Saturday that Israeli forces withdraw and an international stabilization mission

Israel had agreed to open the Rafah crossing as part of the October cease-fire deal with Hamas but kept it closed. Egypt denied that the border would reopen soon.

Israeli officials are assessing reports that Yasser Abu Shabab, a Palestinian militia leader who cooperated with Israel in the southern Gaza Strip, was shot dead on Thursday in the Rafah area of Gaza.