Middle East crisis live: Israel sends negotiators back to Qatar for next stage of ceasefire talks Welcome back to our live coverage of the latest news from the Middle East, here are the latest updates.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered negotiators to return to Qatar to discuss the next stage of the ceasefire deal with Hamas after the fifth hostage-prisoner exchange was completed on Saturday.
The fifth exchange since the truce took effect last month comes as negotiations are set to begin on the next phase of the ceasefire, which could pave the way for a permanent end to Israel’s war on Gaza.
The Palestinian prisoners’ club advocacy group said of the 183 inmates released in return, seven required hospitalisation and described “brutality” and mistreatment in jail.
Boonsong Tapchaiyut, a labour ministry official at the airport on Sunday, said the payments would ensure they did not have to return to Israel to find jobs that would support their families.
