Topline
Negotiations between Israel, Hamas and the U.S. are âcloser than we have been perhaps at any pointâ in reaching a deal to release hostages being held in Gaza, U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer said Sunday, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to bring the prisoners home.
Key Facts
Finer told NBCâs Meet The Press areas of disagreement in the negotiations have been ânarrowed or closed off entirely,â but emphasized âthat nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.â
He said the deal would likely involve the release of âconsiderably more than 12â hostages, and called it âthe highest priorityâ for President Joe Biden that American hostages be included in the agreement.
Finer also said the deal would likely create a multi-day pause, but not a ceasefire, to coordinate the safe release of the hostages.
The U.S. does not speak directly to Hamas and is working with the Qatari government to conduct the negotiations, Finer said, adding the U.S. does not have âgood information about the condition, the statusâ of the hostages, but Hamas has âindicated there are a significant number of hostages they are holding who are alive.â
Crucial Quote
âPeople are being held in unconscionable conditions inside Gaza, including a number of Americans, and they need to be allowed to come home,â Finer said. âUntil the deal is done and people actually start to move and depart, nothing has been finalized.â
Key Background
Hamas militants took approximately 240 hostages when they attacked Israel on October 7, killing approximately 1,200 Israelis. Netanyahu has faced increased scrutiny and pressure to reach a deal to release the hostages, including from their family members, who marched with thousands of supporters from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem last week while criticizing Netanyahu and the Israeli government. Some of the hostagesâ family members have expressed concerns that Israeli extensive counterattacks could be endangering their family members, while the Israeli government has taken the position that the counteroffensive is putting necessary pressure on Hamas. Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed 11,470 people, according to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian health ministry, though that number does not distinguish between militants and civilian deaths. Five hostages have been released so far, including four in a deal brokered by the Qataris and one rescued by the Israeli military. The Israeli government said they found the bodies of two hostages last week near the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza that U.S. and Israeli officials have said is being used by Hamas terrorists to coordinate their attacks, a claim Hamas has denied.
Tangent
Finer reiterated the U.S.âs position that it is not joining more than 100 other countries calling for a permanent ceasefire, but âthat does not mean we are not supportive of humanitarian pauses.â The Al-Shifa hospital that U.S. officials have accused Hamas of using as a command center has become a focal point in the conflict as it has run out of supplies needed to care for patients and has repeatedly lost power, according to World Health Organization officials. Hundreds of patients, staff and people who were taking shelter there have left the hospital in recent days as the World Health Organization has called for a full evacuation of the facility. The Israeli military raided the hospital Wednesday to search for Hamas fighters. Finer refused to say whether he believed Israelâs conduct at the hospital constituted a violation of international law when NBCâs Kristin Welker noted Sunday that the Qatari prime minister has described Israelâs actions at the hospital as a âcrime.â But Finer said âthat does not in our view mean Israel should conduct air strikes or ground assaultsâ on the hospital.