White House: Negotiations for hostage deal to continue

John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, announced in a briefing that negotiations for the release of hostages held by Hamas will continue.

According to Kirby, a "serious and sober" discussion is underway regarding the conditions that would be acceptable to both sides.

Kirby emphasized that, at this stage, he wouldn't describe the process as "negotiations."

He didn't confirm whether one of the discussed options involves a two-month ceasefire. However, Kirby stated that in exchange for the release of some hostages, the United States would support a more extended cessation of hostilities than a "week-long pause" that Israel had agreed to during the release of the first groups of captives last year. "This would allow us to get all the hostages out and deliver more humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip," he said.