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Israel carried out an air strike on militants in northern Gaza on Sunday, rattling an already fragile ceasefire as it prepared for fresh talks in Doha on the future of its truce with Hamas.

Israel estimates that 59 hostages are still held in Gaza with at least 22 of them alive. They are expected to be set free in a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which would require Israel to fully withdraw its forces from Gaza and end the war permanently.

Israel on Sunday prepared to send a delegation to Doha for further talks on the Gaza truce, as Hamas called for an immediate start to negotiations on the ceasefire's second phase, which it hopes will lead to a permanent end to the war.

Meetings between Hamas leaders and U.S. hostage negotiator Adam Boehler in recent days have focused on the release of an American-Israeli dual national being held by the militant group in Gaza, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday.

As cease-fire talks stall, Israel has charted a course for gradually increasing pressure on Hamas to the point of another invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas reiterated on Sunday its insistence on moving directly into negotiating a second phase of the Gaza truce, as Israel announced it would dispatch a delegation to Doha for further

Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas have indicated that they are preparing for the next stage of negotiations on extending the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Statements from both sides came amid efforts by mediators to prolong the 42-day truce that began in January,

Israel has blocked food and medical supplies from entering the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas into a revised ceasefire plan. Debora Patta reports on the deteriorating conditions.