The first negotiations are underway since the outbreak of war in Gaza.
They have already been productive. Agreement has been reached for foreign passport holders to leave Gaza via the Rafah crossing in exchange for incoming aid and the evacuation of wounded Palestinians. There are also ongoing talks over the release of hostages — particularly women and children.
As this complex conflict goes on, there are six key developments which are worth monitoring closely for their implications in Gaza, Israel and the broader Middle East region.
The factors are complex and even contradictory. No single entity has control over them. The outcomes that could follow are unclear. They depend on a series of inter-connected and overlapping variables.
But each one is likely to help determine what happens and should be closely watched by diplomats, analysts and politicians in the region and around the world.
Al Majalla lists them here, along with an analysis of the latest dynamics shaping each one amid the fast-changing situation on the ground.
1: Foreign nationals out of Gaza and hostage talks
The deal reached allowing foreign nationals and dual citizens to leave Gaza is the first major development. It aims to get 500 people out every day. The evacuation will be gradual and involve around 6,000 people in total.
In exchange, approximately 80 wounded individuals will be taken out of Gaza to an Egyptian field hospital near the Rafah crossing. Around 100 aid trucks will enter Gaza over 10 to 12 days, subject to conditions on the ground.
The deal also sets up temporary humanitarian truces in southern Gaza, even as hostilities continue in the north.
There are ongoing, secret talks over a potential deal over a prisoner exchange, also linked to a possible agreement to allow fuel via the Rafah crossing.
There are two prisoner-related proposals under consideration. One is comprehensive, involving the release of all of the 250 Israeli hostages held by Hamas and its allies in return for 6,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The other is for both sides to release the women and children they hold, which would cover about half of the captives detained by Hamas.
Discussions are detailed. Mediators have helped outline the criteria and order of steps needed for agreement. Hopes for a deal are high, despite the ongoing conflict, and come amid internal and international pressure on both sides for a breakthrough.