Israel, Hamas Close In on Hostage Deal Amid Mounting Scrutiny of Gaza Death Toll

Israel and Hamas are closing in on an internationally brokered deal to pause preventing and free a few of the roughly 240 hostages taken by the militant group, officers near the talks stated, amid heightened scrutiny of the civilian toll of Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

The hostage talks—brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S.—have moved in suits and begins for weeks and will break down once more. But they characterize probably the most lively channel of diplomacy since Hamas’s Oct. 7 assaults and the launch of an Israeli army marketing campaign that has claimed greater than 13,000 lives, greater than half of them girls and youngsters, based on well being authorities within the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.