Israel's Netanyahu approves new round of Gaza ceasefire talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to send delegations to Egypt and Qatar, where negotiators have been trying to secure the release of Israeli hostages as part of a possible Gaza ceasefire deal, his office said Friday. Earlier, the Israeli military said the deputy commander of a Hezbollah military unit was killed in an air strike in south Lebanon, the latest episode of deadly cross-border violence since the Israel-Hamas war began. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.

Summary:

• Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has approved a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks to take place in Doha and Cairo, his office said Friday, days after the negotiations appeared stalled.
• The Israeli military said Friday the deputy commander of a Hezbollah military unit was killed in an air strike in south Lebanon's Bazuriyeh, the latest episode of deadly cross-border violence since the Israel-Hamas war began.
• The Syrian army says Israeli air strikes early Friday near the northern city of Aleppo have killed at least 36 Syrian soldiers, wounded several people and caused material damage.
• At least six fighters in Lebanon's Hezbollah group were also killed in the Israeli strikes, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
• At least32,623Palestinians have been killed and 75,092 wounded since Israel began its offensive on Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Around 1,140 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and 250 people taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.