The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, the head of Israel's Mossad spy agency and the prime minister of Qatar will meet in Doha on Sunday to begin negotiations on a new, short-term ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of some Hamas hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, an informed official told Reuters.

The official added that the talks aim to persuade Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for less than a month, in the hope that this will lead to a more sustainable agreement.

The official said that the details or numbers of hostages and prisoners who will be released as part of this agreement are not yet clear.

The number of hostages still being held in the Strip is estimated at 97, and Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killed 1,206 people, most of them civilians, according to a count by Agence France-Presse based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages who died or were killed while being held in Gaza.