Humanitarian organizations reported that thousands of civilians were trapped in the city, especially in hospitals.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday: “Brett McGurk is in Doha today for discussions with our Qatari counterparts about the possibility of reaching another hostage deal.” “We certainly want to see another humanitarian truce… How close we can get to that, what the parameters would look like… that's all part of the discussions now.”
Kirby cautioned on Tuesday that the talks were still at an early stage.
“I wouldn't even classify it as a negotiation at this point, but it's an ongoing discussion with counterparts about what's possible here,” Kirby said.
Kirby said McGurk will also discuss humanitarian aid and evaluate IDF operations and the protection of civilian lives.
Israel has offered a two-month cessation of fighting in exchange for the gradual release of the remaining hostages, according to an Israeli source familiar with the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue. The deal was first reported on news site Axios.
“There is still a long way to go before any agreements are reached,” said a text message between Israeli officials shown to The Washington Post. “Israel is offering different conditions for the return of the hostages, with the cessation of fighting being seen as a given…but Israel will under no circumstances give up on the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages.”
The hostage release stages will begin with the remaining civilian women and children, followed by civilian men, then Israeli military women and men, and then the remaining bodies. There are still more than 100 hostages alive being held in Gaza.
These phases were first discussed in late November, when a week-long cessation of fighting led to the release of more than 100 women, children and foreign hostages. American expectations at the time were that the truce would continue through the gradual release of all hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, originally believed to number more than 240.
Kirby said talks surrounding another potential hostage deal are “very sober and serious,” adding that “we are hopeful it will come to fruition.”
While Israel has not commented publicly on the reports, members of the far-right government – a key support base for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition – on Wednesday expressed concerns about talk of a deal.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for an emergency government meeting immediately. Stopping the war at such a sensitive time could jeopardize the entire operation and lead to huge costs in the Gaza Strip and other fronts. Such a deal raises many serious questions. “At this stage, we cannot support stopping the war for a long period.”
Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir tweeted that while he supports repatriating the hostages, he opposes a “bad deal.”
In the past, Hamas has said it will not release any more hostages if its conditions for a cessation of hostilities are not met. Israel has said there will be no withdrawal or permanent end to the fighting until Hamas's leadership and military infrastructure are destroyed.
A spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, which was a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, said it “presented ideas to both sides, and we are receiving a constant stream of responses from both sides, which in itself is a reason for optimism.”
Spokesman Majid Al Ansari added that some recent public statements were “harmful” to the process.
He added: “When one of the parties says that they do not accept the two-state solution, and that they will not stop this war in the end, and they talk about displacing the Palestinians, it is clear that this leads to a more difficult mediation process.” Netanyahu has repeatedly declared his rejection of a future Palestinian state.
Israel is under increasing pressure from the families of the hostages to reach an agreement to return the prisoners to their homeland. A large majority of the world's countries called for a humanitarian ceasefire – not a temporary one – and called on Israel to facilitate increased aid to civilians in Gaza.
While the United States has repeatedly said that it does not currently support a general ceasefire, Kirby said on Tuesday that Washington would support a humanitarian truce that would last for a month or even longer.
He added: “If this gives us the opportunity to remove the hostages and bring in more aid, we will certainly support a humanitarian truce for a period longer than the week that we were able to achieve.”
Meanwhile, aid agencies expressed concern about the intensification of fighting in Khan Yunis, especially around Nasser Hospital, where “thousands” of people, including 850 patients, were trapped. According to To Doctors Without Borders on Tuesday evening.
The medical charity said it was impossible for many to follow Israeli evacuation instructions due to the danger and difficulty of accessing areas surrounding the hospital.
She said on social media that Nasser Hospital is one of two remaining hospitals in southern Gaza capable of treating those seriously injured. A day earlier, Israel ordered the evacuation of an area containing more than 500,000 people in Khan Yunis, according to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs, which includes three hospitals.
The World Health Organization also said on Wednesday that Al-Khair Hospital, a small NGO-run hospital in Khan Yunis with about 30 beds, was facing “military incursions” with several health workers detained.
An agency official said on Wednesday that nine displaced people were killed and 75 others were injured after tank shells hit a shelter run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Khan Yunis and started a fire there.
Thomas White, Director of UNRWA Affairs, wrote on the social media platform X that the UNRWA compound in Khan Yunis, which was housing tens of thousands of displaced people, was bombed.
“Two tank shells hit the building housing 800 people,” White said books.
He pointed out in a statement that “the buildings caught fire and there were large numbers of casualties.” Separate function. “…People are trapped.”
White said UNRWA staff were unable to reach the center for two days. The site is located in an area where Israeli forces are advancing after previously asking Gaza residents to flee there for their safety.
White said that the UN teams “were trying to reach the center,” but found that “the road agreed upon with the Israeli army was blocked by a dirt bank.”
The Israeli army did not respond in detail to questions about the raid on the UNRWA shelter, but said in a statement that “a combat team was present around the place.” [Khan Younis]In the western part, we started working inside it.” The Israeli army accused Hamas of having “command and control centers, Hamas settlement sites, and Hamas security headquarters” in the area, while admitting that it is a “densely populated area and an area composed of civilians” in addition to shelters and hospitals.
“It is a place that requires very specific working methods and precise processes,” the statement said. He added, “This operation will continue for several days until we achieve the greatest possible achievement: dismantling Hamas' military framework and Hamas' strongholds.”
UNRWA operates 154 shelters in Gaza, sheltering and providing assistance to many of Gaza's 1.7 million displaced people. Since 7 October, UNRWA has reported 249 incidents affecting its shelters and buildings. The agency estimated that at least 341 displaced people in UNRWA shelters had been killed since the beginning of the war.
Kelly Kasulis Chu and Frances Vinal in Seoul, Susanna George in Doha, Qatar, Mikhail Klimentov in Washington, and Miriam Berger in Jerusalem And Lior Soroka in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.
