U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he expects “negotiators will be getting together in the coming days” to discuss pathways toward an Israel–Hamas ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

Israeli forces have continued military operations in Gaza, while Hamas still holds roughly 100 of the approximately 250 hostages it took more than a year ago. The U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian governments have acted as mediators during the war but have repeatedly failed to get a deal across the finish line due to the hardened stances of both sides.