US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US is in "very deep negotiations" with Hamas to release Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
"We said, let them all come out now, let them all come out and much better things will happen for them. But if you don't let them all come out, it's going to be a difficult situation," Trump said, according to the AP agency.
Trump said there may be some hostages who have died recently.
"That's what I'm hearing. I hope this is wrong," he said.
Israel hit a high-rise building in Gaza City on Friday after warning residents to evacuate. The Israeli military accuses the Hamas group of using high-rise buildings to monitor and plan attacks. Israel has declared Gaza City a war zone, sparking protests among Israelis concerned about the hostages. Hamas recently released a video of two hostages begging for an end to the war. At least 27 people have been killed in the latest Israeli strikes on Gaza, Gaza's health ministry said. The ministry said more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its offensive on Oct. 7, 2023.
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The Israeli offensive began after Hamas' surprise attack on Israeli territory, during which 1200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage.
