US Hopeful of New Release of Hostages Held by Hamas in Gaza
The U.S. said Tuesday it is "hopeful" that talks brokered through Qatar could lead to a new deal to release hostages held by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a cease-fire in the fighting between Hamas and Israel.
'I don't want to say too much publicly here as we have these talks, but we're hopeful that it can bear fruit, and bear fruit soon,' National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told re