"I believe we are closer than we have been in quite some time, maybe closer than we have been since the beginning of this process, to getting this deal done," White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told NBC's "Meet the Press". The delicate hostage talks coincide with Israel preparing to expand its offensive against Hamas to Gaza's southern half, signaled by increasing air strikes there on targets Israel sees as lairs of armed terrorists.

Two-thirds of the personnel in the Home Front Command's Rescue and Training Brigade are women. "Currently within the strip, on behalf of the Home Front Command, 40% are women, sharing the mission responsibilities with the men beside them," explained the commander of the brigade. The fighters joined the combat teams and operated together in the area of the Shati refugee camp – one of Hamas' central strongholds in the Gaza Strip.

According to a ship-monitoring website, the ship was detected on Saturday in the Red Sea, sailing under the Bahamas flag. In the past, Israeli owned vessels were attacked by Iranian entities but this is likely the first such incident by Houthis.