This picture taken from Rafah on Jan 12, 2024, shows smoke billowing over the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Hamas. (PHOTO / AFP)

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT – Israel reached an agreement with Qatar to allow the delivery of vital prescription drugs to Israeli hostages in Gaza, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

"The medication will be delivered in the next few days," the office said in a statement on Friday.

David Barnea, Israel's Mossad intelligence agency chief, led the talks with Qatar on behalf of the Israeli side, the office added.

The high-level negotiations included talks about increasing the quantity of medicines that Israel allows into the besieged enclave for Gaza civilians.

READ MORE: UN says Gaza humanitarian crisis escalates amid bombardment

The statement however did not mention whether progress has been achieved on the issue.

About 132 people are still held in Gaza by Hamas and other militant groups after being kidnapped during Hamas's surprise attack on Oct 7. The Israeli bombardment and siege have created a severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 23,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Palestinians wounded in Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip wait for treatment at a hospital in Khan Younis, Nov 15, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

3 Palestinians killed in West Bank

Israel's military said on Friday that its troops shot dead three Palestinian men who allegedly entered a West Bank settlement and opened fire.

The military said in a statement that the three men "infiltrated" into the settlement of Adora in the southern occupied West Bank and opened fire at soldiers who were on patrol in the area.

"During the searches, three assailants were identified and neutralized by the security forces," according to the military. The searches in the area continue as authorities look for more suspects.

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Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said in a statement that a 34-year-old Israeli man sustained a light-to-moderate injury in his leg as a result of the shooting.

700 Hezbollah operations against Israel 

Lebanese armed group Hezbollah announced on Friday that it had conducted 692 offensive operations against Israel along Lebanon's southern border over the past three months.

In a statement, the Iran-backed group said it had targeted 48 Israeli border sites, 12 rear sites, and 50 new military points since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October last year.

The Lebanon-Israel border witnessed increased tension since Oct 8 after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attacks on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

Confrontations continued on the Lebanon-Israel border on Friday, with Israeli forces firing from the Motella settlement at a Lebanese civilian, injuring him seriously, a Lebanese military source told Xinhua.

READ MORE: Israel army chief: Gaza conflict to continue throughout 2024

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the injured Lebanese had been transferred to the Marjeyoun Governmental Hospital in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah also said its fighters targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Hadab Al-Bustan site.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have so far killed 217 on the Lebanese side, including 158 Hezbollah members and 37 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources.