Israel has submitted a plan to Doha mediators detailing Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip during and after the various phases of a potential hostage-ceasefire deal, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reports.

London-based Qatari news outlet says Israel has requested a buffer zone of around a kilometer and a half along the Gazan border that will remain under Israeli control. Previously a 300 meter area had been considered a buffer zone – while there was no Israel Defense Forces presence there, there was an understanding that troops would fire on those who entered.

The report says agreement has been reached on the various areas from which the IDF will withdraw in the first and second phases of the deal, noting that the cautious optimism from the United States stems from the fact that the current formulation for an agreement would see all hostages and agreed-upon Palestinian prisoners released in the first two stages.

The report says topics still under discussion include the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released and where those serving severe sentences would be released to. Israel has said it needs to know how many of the hostages are alive before it agrees to a figure.

However, the outlet says that agreements have been reached on the management of humanitarian aid within the Strip.

A thousand new drones were delivered to Iran’s army, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reports, as the country braces for more friction with Israel and the United States under incoming US president Donald Trump.

The drones were delivered to various locations throughout Iran and are said to have high stealth and anti-fortification abilities, according to Tasnim.

“The drones’ unique features, including a range of over 2,000 kilometers, high destructive power, the ability to pass through defense layers with low Radar Cross Section, and autonomous flight, not only increase the depth of reconnaissance and border monitoring but also boost the combat capability of the army’s drone fleet in confronting distant targets,” the news agency adds.

Earlier this month, Iran started two-month military exercises, which have already included war games in which the elite Revolutionary Guards defended key nuclear installations in Natanz against mock attacks by missiles and drones.

Tehran has launched a number of drone and missile attacks on Israel since the start of the war sparked by the October 7 onslaught by its proxy, the Hamas terror group.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.