GAZA CITY, Palestine 

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Friday received a phone call from Nickolay Mladenov, the UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.

According to a statement released by Haniyeh's office, the two men discussed ongoing ceasefire talks with Israel and prospects for lifting Israel’s 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.

“The phone conversation addressed the intensive efforts being exerted to implement recent understandings [between Israel and Gaza-based resistance factions] in hopes of ending the Gazan people’s suffering,” the statement read.

Haniyeh and Mladenov also discussed recent Israeli aggression on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip that left at least 27 Palestinians and four Israelis dead.

In recent months, Egyptian, Qatari and UN representatives have shuttled between Gaza City and Tel Aviv in hopes of hammering out a truce between Israel and Palestinian resistance groups, led by Hamas.