White House clarifies on potential hostage deal to pause Israel-Hamas war
Family members and supporters of Israelis who were taken hostage on October 7 by Hamas
Israel and Hamas are reportedly at the threshold brink of closing an agreement to reach a five-day pause in fighting in exchange for the return of women and children held hostage by Hamas in the blockaded Gaza Strip, Washington Post reported.
The report claimed that under a six-page agreement, all parties in the conflict would freeze the state of war for at least five days during which dozens of hostages among a total of 239 will be released in batches every 24 hours.
But White House later clarified that Washington has not reached any such deal but the Biden administration will continue to 'work hard' to conclude one.
"We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal," Adrienne Watson,the White House National Security Council Spokesperson wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Israel-Hamas war temporary pause: What is it about?
According to reports in the US media, the outline of a deal was put together during strenuous talks in Qatar immediately after the outbreak of the war in West Asia.
)
US Treasury rallies global financial institutions for Op Economic Outcast to isolate Iran
)
Trump praises India’s Opium crackdown, hails anti-drug efforts
)
Saudi Vs Houthis: Yemeni military rebels clash with Houthis
)
Veteran actor Anant Nag honoured with Indian cinema’s highest award
)
Pakistan boycotts chess match against Israel at Olympiad
)
Lionel Messi for 2026 Ballon d’Or over Mbappe and Yamal, says Diego Simeone
)
Protests erupt over migrant housing plan in Piddington
)
Formula One reveals the 2027 race calendar; Monaco to host sprint race for the first time
)
Bigg Boss 20: Mahhi Vij reveals she lost Yuva role to Kareena Kapoor; 'didn’t work out in my favour'
)
No Pandya as Auqib Nabi earns maiden ODI call-up; Mayank returns for WI T20Is| check full squads
)
Former India player Diana Edulji wants Smriti Mandhana to replace Harman as skipper at the earliest
)
US House votes 417-3 to pass Ratepayer Protection Act targeting AI data center electricity costs
)
Pakistan: Imran Khan's sons Kasim & Sulaiman claim their father is 'tortured' in jail
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT releases this week (September 14-20, 2026): Lust Stories 3, Waiting Hai, Irumudi- 5 new titles coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Taiwan seeks deeper India ties as direct flights restart soon and chip projects advance
)
Trump gets new power to hit India, China with up to 100% tariffs as US Senate clears Russia sanctions bill
)
Former OpenAI researcher warns of growing risks from Artificial Intelligence
)
Want to get married within a year? Why 18 lakh people rush to Jaipur for ‘sacred henna’
)
Fed raises rates for first time in 3 years, Kevin Warsh defies Trump as inflation mounts
)
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce named one of the victims in $35 million ponzi scheme
)
The Early Spring season 2 is happening, but fans have one request - 'don't change the actors'
)
All Indian goods to get duty-free access to New Zealand
)
Sydney Sweeney defends provocative ad choice, the internet is still not impressed
)
Shahzad Bhatti Network declared terrorist organisation under UAPA: Govt order
)
Europe wants a common playbook for security threats, seeks security beyond NATO
)
Trump calls Canada-EU associate membership plan ‘laughable’ and threatens 'very serious tariffs'
)
‘Imagine 50 AI fighters cornering one manned jet’: India’s mobbing doctrine eyes a new era of air warm
)
AUS vs SA: Steve Smith still gets 'little flashbacks' from sandpaper gate
)
India breaks silence on US Russia sanctions bill, 100% tariff threat: ‘Committed to energy security’ for 1.4 billion
)
Abhishek Sharma rises to No. 2 in T20Is; ENG’s Robinson 3rd after record Pakistan Tests
)
Daayra movie review: Kareena Kapoor, Prithviraj Sukumaran shine in Meghna Gulzar’s cop-versus-cop crime thriller
)
Katrina Kaif’s postpartum weight is not the problem; your gaze is
)
Hong Kong unveils 11 new measures to boost birth rates, offers higher cash bonuses and housing perks
)
US trade tariff: 100% tariff targets Russian buyers amid trade tensions
)
Pak batter Rizwan's petition against being questioned by cyber crime agency rejected by court
)
Saudi vs Houthis: Riyadh claims to have shot Houthi drone targeting Mecca
)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday: Italian PM Meloni sends birthday wishes
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Suriya and Jyothika say ‘I do’ again after 20 years! See their dreamy wedding pics
)
Pakistan naval vessel returns to harbour with 'severe damage' after collision with Indian warship in Arabian Sea
The Biden administration dispatched US Secretary of State Antony Blinken twice since October 7to diffuse the hostage situation, and de-escalate the prevailing hostilities in the region.
Notably, while the US PresidentJoe Biden himself failed to engage with Palestinian leaders during his West Asia visit last month— after a four way leader summit between leaders of the US-Jordan-Egypt-Palestine Authority was cancelled— UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Union leaders have managed to engage with both Israeli and Arab leaders.
It continues to be unclear until now if Israel would agree to temporarily pause in its offensive in Gaza if the Palestinian militant groups fostered in the region fail to return the hostages they took in the aftermath of their attack on Israel on October 7 that killed around 1200 Israelis.
Also watch |Israel-Palestine War | WHO: Al-Shifa hospital is a 'death zone'
Israel has since retaliated with constant bombardment to target Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. The retaliatory state of war in Gaza, however, haskilled more than 12,000 Palestinians, mostly children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.