JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel will send a delegation to Cairo for further talks with mediators on a proposed deal with Hamas for a cease-fire and hostage release.

U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari mediators are making a new push to seal the agreement, as Hamas and Israel have come the closest yet to narrowing the gaps between them after months of negotiations.

But obstacles still remain. Hamas agreed to relent on its key demand that Israel commit to ending the war as part of any agreement. But it still wants mediators to guarantee that talks will go on until a permanent cease-fire is reached, in return for a full release of hostages held by Hamas.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, says he won’t sign any deal that would force Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza before Hamas is eliminated.

Netanyahu’s office said Israel’s negotiating team returned from meeting with mediators in the Qatari capital Doha, without giving details on the results of the talks. The team was heading Thursday evening to Cairo for continuing discussions, it said.

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US Announces $100 Million in Additional Aid for Palestinians

JERUSALEM — The United States announced Thursday that it is providing $100 million in new aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

A statement from USAID said the funding would assist the United Nations’ World Food Program. It also said that through the funding, it would provide “logistics support for the safe and efficient delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid across Gaza,” without elaborating. Aid agencies have complained that goods are not reaching people in Gaza because of the dangerous security situation and growing lawlessness that is complicating aid delivery.

A statement from the U.S. aid agency said the additional funding brings U.S. contributions to the Palestinians since the war began to more than $774 million.

The war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border raid, has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza that has led to widespread hunger.