A Palestinian carrying a mattress walks by buildings destroyed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, in Nusseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Nov 20, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

GAZA / BEIRUT - A Hamas official said on Tuesday that the movement is close to reaching a ceasefire agreement with Israel in the coming hours, which will be announced in Qatar.

The official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the movement had already sent its response to mediators on the ceasefire agreement, and it was waiting for Israel's response.

Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, said in a statement posted on Telegram that Hamas was close to reaching a truce agreement with Israel

Khalil Al-Hayya, a member of Hamas's Political Bureau, said in a statement on Tuesday that the Egyptian and Qatari mediators were "making significant efforts to reach an agreement," without providing further details.

Earlier in the day, Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, said in a statement posted on Telegram that Hamas was close to reaching a truce agreement with Israel.

The ceasefire deal, said the sources, will last for five days and includes the release of 50 civilians and foreign nationals held by Hamas in exchange for the release of 300 Palestinian detainees, including children and women, held by Israel.

The deal also includes the entry of 300 trucks of food, medical and fuel aid into the Gaza Strip.

The sources indicated that the release of prisoners will take place in stages, at a rate of 10 Israeli prisoners per day compared with that of 30 Palestinian prisoners.  

Displaced Palestinians set up tents in the yard of a UN-run school in Rafah, Gaza Strip, during ongoing Israeli bombardment on Nov 15, 2023. (PHOTO /AP)

Meanwhile, at least 12 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli attack on a school belonging to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry said Monday.

Israeli drones carried out ten air raids on several villages and towns in southern Lebanon, killing one and wounding three others, said Lebanese military sources 

"The Israeli artillery attacked the school which houses thousands of displaced people and killed about 12 Palestinians, including women and children," the ministry said in a press statement.

Even though all UNRWA's facilities raise the flags of the UN, which keeps the coordination and communication with Israel, the Israeli army continues its attacks against the UNRWA's schools in various places in Gaza, according to Adnan Abu Hasna, UNRWA's media adviser.

"Since the beginning of the current Hamas-Israel conflict, more than 70 UNRWA-affiliated institutions and schools have been targeted in Israeli attacks. At the same time, 104 of the agency's staff members have been killed, marking the highest toll in its history," Abu Hasna told Xinhua.

He added that the number of displaced people in UNRWA shelters reached 900,000 out of a total of 1.7 million displaced people in Gaza, with hundreds of thousands left without shelter on the streets. 

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A man checks a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Al-Jabayn, Lebanon, on Nov 20, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Also on Monday, Israeli drones carried out ten air raids on several villages and towns in southern Lebanon, killing one and wounding three others, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, the Israeli heavy artillery fired more than 250 shells on 27 Lebanese towns and villages on the borderline, causing material damage, according to the sources who asked to remain anonymous.

The same sources said Lebanon, for the first time, launched four Burkan-type rockets into northern Israel, and its fighters targeted several Israeli sites along the borderline with Lebanon.

According to security reports, the total number of casualties since Oct. 8 reached 104 people, including 80 members of Hezbollah.

The Lebanon-Israel border has witnessed increased tension for six weeks after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel on Oct 8 in support of the Hamas attack on Israel the previous day.