Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Tuesday his militant movement was nearing a truce agreement with Israel, according to a statement sent by his office to AFP. "We are close to reaching a deal on a truce," Haniyeh said, according to the statement. Negotiators have been working to seal a deal to allow the release of around 240 mostly Israeli hostages seized on October 7, during the deadliest assault on Israel in its history. Follow our live blog for the latest updates. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).

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About casualty figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry:

Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the largest in the enclave, receives data from every hospital in the strip. Hospital administrators say they keep records of every wounded person occupying a bed and every body arriving at a morgue. The ministry also collects from other sources including the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of "Israeli aggression". The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry's death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.

In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN's counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry's, with small discrepancies.

For more on the Gaza health ministry's tolls, click here.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

Key Developments from Monday, November 20:

• An Israeli strike on northern Gaza's Indonesian Hospital killed at least 12, according to Gaza's health ministry.
• Israel has claimed hostages were taken to Al Shifa hospital on the day of the Hamas attacks.
• The Israeli military has released footage that it says shows a tunnel underneath the hospital.
• Hamas has denied allegations it used the hospital as a base.
• At least 13,000 Palestinians, including at least 5,500 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, the government media office in the Hamas-controlled enclave said on Saturday.
• Some 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial attack by Hamas, and around 240 were taken captive by militants.

Read yesterday's blog here.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

Originally published on France24