STORY: Dressed in white, mothers and daughters of hostages held by Hamas held a silent sit-in protest in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, the first night of Hanukkah.

They are calling on Israel to reach a deal for their loved ones to be released.

The protest, cut short due to a security alert, comes as Hamas and Israel trade blame over their failure to conclude a ceasefire agreement.

In recent days, both sides have reported progress.

Hamas said that Israel had laid down further conditions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Palestinian militant group of going back on understandings already reached.

:: Gaza City, Gaza

Israeli negotiators returned to Israel from Qatar on Tuesday evening for consultations about a hostage deal after a significant week of talks, Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday.

The U.S., Qatar and Egypt have stepped up efforts to conclude a phased deal in the past two weeks.

One of the challenges has been agreements on Israeli troop deployments.

:: Israel Defense Ministry Handout

In a video released on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would retain security control of the enclave, including with buffer zones and controlling posts.

Hamas is demanding an end to the war, while Israel says it wants to end Hamas’ rule of the enclave first, to ensure it will no longer pose a threat to Israelis.

The war was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

:: Khan Younis, Gaza

:: December 23, 2024

Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 45,300 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-run enclave.