NEW YORK, January 19. /TASS/. At least several weeks will be needed to reach a new deal on the release of hostages from the Gaza Strip, the NBC television channel said, citing sources.

According to the sources, new terms are being discussed but it will take several weeks to reach any agreement on them, since the negotiators’ positions are still poles apart.

According to the TV channel, more than 130 people might still be held in the Gaza Strip, with Americans being among them. A humanitarian pause is likely to be among the conditions for hostage release, just like before.

An unnamed diplomatic source told NBC that Israel’s position on a possible extended ceasefire has somewhat softened.

In late November 2023, Hamas announced an agreement with Israel, which was brokered by Egypt and Qatar, on a four-day humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, which took effect on November 24. The deal stipulated the release of Israeli women and children being held hostage in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons.The sides extended the ceasefire several times but on the morning of December 1 the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Hamas had violated the truce in Gaza and opened fire on Israeli territory, thus prompting the IDF to resume combat operations in the Gaza Strip.