President Biden said Tuesday that he has a message for people whose loved ones are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza: "Hang in there, we're coming." Sources tell CNN that after prolonged talks, Israel and Hamas are moving closer to a deal to free some of the hostages seized in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. "I've been talking with the people involved every single day. I believe it's going to happen. But I don't want to get into detail," Biden said.
The deal would involve the release of a large group of hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a pause in fighting in Gaza that could last for as long as five days, CNN reports, citing a "senior US official familiar with the talks." Reuters reports that Qatar has been leading mediation efforts. The White House said Tuesday that top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk is visiting the region for talks with officials in Israel, the West Bank, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia,
In Israel, McGurk "will discuss Israel's security needs, the imperative of protecting civilians in the course of military operations, as well as ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages, and the need to rein in violent extremist settlers in the West Bank," the White House said. Hamas seized around 240 hostages in the attack and only four have been releaed so far. The Israeli military confirmed Monday that one hostage, a 19-year-old female soldier, had died, the BBC reports. The military called the Hamas release of a video of Corporal Noa Marciano "psychological terrorism." (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)
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