Family members of eight hostages with US citizenship who are held by Hamas in Gaza met on Tuesday with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington.
In a statement following the meeting, the families said they “thanked the Administration for its continued work to negotiate a deal that brings home the eight remaining American hostages and 128 others who are still being held in captivity by Hamas.”
“However, after 116 days without any proof of life or other information about their loved ones, the families reiterated that until there is a deal formally agreed to by both Israel and Hamas, the US, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and regional allies must remain laser-focused on the ongoing negotiations and bring the deal to a close. Every day that the hostages remain in Gaza, they are at risk of torture, sexual violence, and death,” the statement added.
It noted that the families and Sullivan “discussed the recent negotiations that have taken place over the last week, as well as his recent meeting with Qatari officials. This is the families' fourth meeting with Mr. Sullivan, and they will continue to remain in close contact until Israel and Hamas agree to a deal that brings all the hostages home.”
The meeting comes amid reports that a deal to release Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity is expected as early as next week.
Egyptian officials quoted in the pro-Qatar newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed said that the negotiations are "moving in a positive direction."
A senior Hamas official told Reuters on Tuesday that his organization received a proposal for a multi-stage deal to release Israeli hostages.
According to the official, the deal would include three stages, the first being the release of women, elderly, and ill. In the second stage, soldiers will be released.
The final stage, according to the terrorist, would be the release of bodies.
In return, the official said he did not receive an exact number of terrorists to be released from Israeli prisons, but throughout all of the stages, all military activity, on both sides, will stop.
Meanwhile, Kan 11 News reported that Israel remains optimistic about the chances for a prisoner exchange deal, despite the Hamas declaration that the organization will continue to demand a ceasefire as a precondition for any such deal.