Egypt has asked for a follow-up meeting with Israel in renewed efforts to mediate a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, two Egyptian security sources said on Thursday. Egyptian, Israeli and U.S. officials held in-person and remote meetings on Wednesday that sought concessions to break a deadlock in months-long negotiations for a truce in the war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas that began on Oct. 7, the sources said. Egypt believed Israel had shown more willingness to allow displaced Gazans to return towards the north of the enclave in a way that limited security checks and procedures for those not suspected of militant activity, they added.
Hamas has told negotiators it does not have 40 Israeli hostages that it can release as part of a temporary cease-fire deal with Israel, a source familiar with the talks confirmed to The Hill. The admission raises questions over how many of the remaining hostages kidnapped Oct. 7 are alive and who is holding them.…
Rally in Jerusalem calls for remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to be brought home. It came as talks to secure another ceasefire that would include the release hostages resumed in Egypt.
Orna Neutra, the mother of Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra, said on Sunday that bringing home the hostages should be included in every ceasefire demand, warning that the alternative would be a “death sentence for them.” “Bringing the hostages back should be the top priority. It should be the world’s top priority,” Orna Neutra said in…