IDF says 150 targets struck, 40 terror operatives killed during weekend operations in Gaza * Report: US submitted request to mediators for direct meeting with Hamas on American hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited northern Gaza on Tuesday, accompanied by the country's defense minister, head of the military and other senior officials, his office said. A statement released by the prime minister's office said Netanyahu received a security briefing in northern Gaza on the military's effort to free Israeli hostages and to defeat Hamas.

Hamas seeks to reach a deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip - the group also intends to exchange all Israeli hostages for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, according to Reuters. Khalil al-Hayya, leader of Hamas in Gaza,