Hamas's top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was spotted visiting Cairo for talks on the war against Israel, which could be considered part of diplomatic actions over the past few days which involved top Israeli, American, and Qatari officials.
The negotiations were believed to be for the formulation of another truce between Israel and Hamas.
"These are very serious discussions and negotiations, and we hope that they lead somewhere," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One as President Joe Biden travels to Wisconsin.
However, Biden indicated that a deal has "no expectation at this point."
A new set of prisoner swaps?
According to the Associated Press, Hamas indicated that no more hostages would be released until the end of the war, insisting that Israel should release large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-level militants convicted in deadly terror attacks, in exchange for the remaining hostages.
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official in Beirut, said that the current efforts were focused on how to "stop [the] aggression" of Israel, especially because Israel could not achieve any of its goals.
So far, Israeli officials rejected Hamas's demands for a mass prisoner release.
An estimated 129 captives were still taken hostage by Hamas, though roughly 20 are believed to have died in captivity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the war would only end if Hamas is eradicated.
"Whoever thinks we will stop is detached from reality," he said in a statement. "All Hamas terrorists, from the first to the last, are dead men walking."
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