For this final edition of Middle East Matters, we bring you a series of reports from our correspondents in the region. We begin in Israel, where as the war in Gaza drags on, divisions in Israeli society are growing more stark.

After nearly four months of war in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis and the mounting civilian death toll have triggered growing international calls for a ceasefire. Amid intense diplomacy, a deal is taking shape. The first truce, in November of last year, lasted just seven days; this one could endure for one or two months and free many or all of the remaining 100 or more Israeli hostages in stages.

Hamas has been holding two mentally ill Israeli hostages in Gaza for nearly a decade, with Israeli society paying very little attention to their plight. The October 7 terrorist attacks changed that.

Nearing four months of war in Gaza, and the humanitarian crisis and the mounting civilian death toll have triggered growing international calls for a ceasefire. Amid intense diplomacy, a deal is taking shape. The first truce, in November, lasted just seven days; this one could endure for one or two months and free many or all of the remaining 100 or more Israeli hostages in stages.

Earlier this month, Israel was also accused of attempting to create a “buffer zone” between itself and Gaza, after satellite imagery showed that it had demolished hundreds of buildings within the besieged enclave that sit within 1km (0.6 miles) of the border.

Observers say Qatar takes on this role since as a small but fabulously wealthy country built on vast supplies of liquid gas, it needs to make itself indispensable to the international community and protected from unwelcome interventions by its larger neighbours, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

A video has gone viral on social media, claiming to show booby-trapped cans of food being dropped over the Gazan people by the Israeli military, at a time that they are suffering from what the UN calls "catastrophic hunger."

In Israel, only a minority of young people refuse to carry out their military service, which is compulsory for both men and women. These conscientious objectors, known as "refuseniks", have always been stigmatised in a country where the training is considered a rite of passage that forges national identity.

A video of a Palestinian baby doll covered in blood is going viral, as users claim that this doll was deliberately made by Israel. We tell you who actually created the doll in this edition of Truth or Fake.

The Houthi rebels are already winners in the current Red Sea confrontation, observers say. Thanks to US strikes, they have boosted their own legitimacy in Yemen and further afield. Even critics have praised them.

The International Court of Justice is to hold hearings this week on a case brought by South Africa, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza and seeking a halt to its military campaign. Israel has described the allegations against it as "baseless" and intended to stir up lethal hatred of Jews. FRANCE 24's Shirli Sitbon tells us more about South Africa's decision to file the case, the Israeli response and what's likely to happen at the hearings.

South Africa's landmark case against Israel for its war on Gaza began on Thursday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the World Court based in The Hague. Pretoria is accusing Israel of committing the crime of genocide in breach of the 1948 Genocide Convention.