The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, engaged in discussions with US President Joe Biden in a phone call Tuesday to assess the ongoing developments in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, Qatari state news agency QNA reported.
Qatar is "very optimistic" an extension to the truce between Israel and Hamas will be announced in the coming hours, following the expected release of the sixth set of hostages, a foreign ministry spokesman told CNN.
As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads back to the Middle East, he will be focused on extending the pause in Israel’s offensive in Gaza, "so that we continue to get more hostages out and more humanitarian assistance in," he said at a news conference in Brussels Wednesday.
An Israel Defense Forces video on November 15 showing a tour of Hamas weaponry found at Al-Shifa hospital shows less weaponry at the scene than in later footage filmed by international news crews, indicating the weaponry may have been moved or placed there prior to news crews arriving.