ceasefire-hostage release deal
Negotiators said to believe chance of hostage deal ‘close to zero’; US also pessimistic

Families reportedly told deal unlikely to happen as Netanyahu, Sinwar both hardened stances;

US to delay presenting new proposal, does not want to reward Hamas after executions
Biden also does not want to make any concessions that would seem to reward Hamas’s recent murder of six hostages, the officials said.

‘Mixed messages’ from the White House over Israel-Hamas war
Former British commander Richard Kemp analyses the “mixed messages” coming out of Washington regarding the United States’ support for Israel. “This is one of the key issues here in Israel at the moment is that the ceasefire oblique hostage release negotiations have been going on for a considerable time now,”

“Just recently President Biden suggested that Netanyahu is not doing enough to get the hostages released yet in recent weeks and days the deputy director of the CIA has praised Israel for going pretty much all the way as far as it can possibly go in terms of compromising on negotiations – and the same is true of Secretary of State.”