U.S. and Arab mediators are working round-the-clock to hammer out a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, sources close to the talks said, while in the Gaza Strip medics said Israeli strikes had killed 41 Palestinians on Thursday.

Three Israeli soldiers were killed in northern Gaza, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on December 23. The soldiers were taking part in a raid against terrorists in Beit Hanoun when they were killed by an improvised explosive device.

The Israeli military said on Thursday that it has again killed several Hamas militants in Gaza City. A head of Hamas' weapons production department and a company commander of the militia were killed in a targeted airstrike on a former school building in Gaza City,

Israeli strikes in Gaza left 77 people dead over 24 hours, the Gaza civil defense force said early Friday. More strikes followed.

Lengthy negotiations on an agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza after 14 months of war between Israel and Hamas are in a final phase, according to Egyptian security circles. A deal that should also lead to the release of Hamas-held hostages from the Gaza Strip could be reached within 10 days,