Mediators have reached an agreement to release all Palestinian prisoners who were due to be freed last week in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages, Egyptian state-linked media reported late Tuesday.

Israel is seeking an indefinite extension to the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza rather than moving to a planned second stage designed to lay the groundwork for a more lasting settlement, several people familiar with the matter have said.

Israel wants to extend the Gaza ceasefire when it expires this weekend so as many hostages as possible can be freed — while starting to amass troops for a return