The U.S. is “closer than we have been in quite some time” to dealer a cope with Israel and Hamas to launch hostages being held in Gaza, deputy nationwide safety adviser Jon Finer mentioned Sunday.
“I believe we are closer than we have been in quite some time, maybe closer than we have been since the beginning of this process, to getting this deal done. And we are following this minute by minute, hour by hour, and have been for a number of weeks,” Finer mentioned Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Finer was responding to questions concerning Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani telling reporters Sunday that negotiations for hostage releases have improved, and solely “very minor” logistical hurdles stood in the way in which.
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Deputy nationwide safety adviser Jon Finer seems on “Meet the Press” in Washington, D.C., April 24, 2022. (William B. Plowman/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank through Getty Images)
“The deal is going through ups and downs from time to time throughout the last few weeks,” the Qatari chief mentioned. “But I think that you know I’m now more confident that we are close enough to reach a deal that can bring the people safely back to their home.”
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Rockets are fired towards Israel from the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Finer defined that he wouldn’t go into extra particulars on the negotiations till they’re finalized.
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“Sensitive negotiations like this can fall apart at the last minute. So we’re not going to outline all the details of what is still being discussed. We believe that this needs to get done, that people are being held in unconscionable conditions inside Gaza, including a number of Americans. And that they need to be allowed to come home,” the Biden administration official mentioned.
Smoke rises from an space close to an influence plant exterior Ashkelon, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
The Washington Post reported Saturday that Hamas was near agreeing to launch no less than 50 hostages in alternate for a five-day pause in combating. Soon after the report, the White House highlighted that no deal had but been reached.
There are an estimated 240 hostages being held in Gaza. Finer wouldn’t element what number of hostages might be launched below a possible deal.
“I’m not going to give a lot more detail, other than to say we are talking about considerably more than 12 [hostages]. But beyond that, I want to see where this goes and don’t want to say anything that would jeopardize the actual completion of the deal,” he mentioned.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nsc-leader-claims-us-closer-than-ever-hostage-deal-despite-hamas-standoff
