The White House said “significant progress” was made this weekend, but the work is not complete.
Negotiations for the release of more than 200 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are ongoing and “have reached a very delicate stage.” Deputy White House National Security Advisor John Finer announced this on Sunday, November 19, reports ABC News.
“These negotiations have clearly reached a very sensitive stage,” he said.
He added that US authorities have been closely monitoring the negotiations for several weeks and that it is an “incredibly high priority.”
“Some of the disagreements have now been reduced. Some of the issues that have been controversial have now been resolved. But we are not done yet – there is no agreement yet. And I think it is premature to conclude that this is solved, how close we came to the past,” Feiner said.
Commenting on a reported deal to release a large number of prisoners in exchange for a potential multi-day pause in fighting, Feiner said “significant progress” had been made this weekend. But he cautioned that the work is not complete.
Asked how many hostages could be freed, Feiner said: “Definitely more than a dozen.” He also added that while the United States “doesn’t have complete clarity” about the condition of the hostages, officials believe most of them, “even the majority,” are still alive.
To facilitate their release, Feiner said, the US would be open to a “longer standstill period” but not a ceasefire.
“It will also greatly facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as the distribution of that aid throughout Gaza,” Feiner said.
He noted that the United States believes that a cease-fire is also unacceptable now, because Hamas wants to continue attacking Israel. According to him, Israel has an obligation to protect civilians even in the most difficult circumstances.
Let’s remember that the Israeli military has established operational control over the port of Gaza. It was reported that the port was controlled by soldiers of the 188th Armored Brigade and the 13th Flotilla (Shayetet 13).
Israel says it has achieved all its goals in Gaza
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.