Israel estimates that 59 hostages are still held in Gaza with at least 22 of them alive. They are expected to be set free in a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which would require Israel to fully withdraw its forces from Gaza and end the war permanently.

Meetings between Hamas leaders and U.S. hostage negotiator Adam Boehler in recent days have focused on the release of an American-Israeli dual national being held by the militant group in Gaza, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday.

The threat of joint US-Israeli military action against Hamas is on the table if the terrorist organization refuses to free all remaining hostages held captive in Gaza — with President Trump saying “somebody” with have to match Hamas’ ruthlessness.

An Israeli drone strike killed two people in Gaza on Friday, local Palestinian medical authorities said, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding a fragile ceasefire deal that has halted fighting in the enclave for weeks.

Two Palestinian civilians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike near a mosque in the Shejaiya district of Gaza City, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported on Friday. The Israeli military said shortly afterwards that a group of militants had tried to plant an explosive device near an Israeli military position.