PBS News Hour

AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "NewsHour."

A day of waiting, watching and worry for the families of hostages held Hamas in Gaza.

GEOFF BENNETT: Weeks of negotiations have led to an agonizing day, as talks continue to free some of the nearly 240 hostages.

Under a proposed deal, Hamas would reportedly exchange 50 women and children they hold for 150 women and children in Israeli detention.

Nick Schifrin has the latest.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In Tel Aviv today, the families of Israeli hostages united in prayer.

They don't know if their loved ones are alive, but they hold onto hope they might come home soon.

MATAN ESHET, Relative of Israeli Hostage: I think the only thing that I could call justice is bringing everyone back home.

NICK SCHIFRIN: After more than a month of negotiations between Israel, Hamas and the U.S. mediated by Qatar, every side indicated today a deal was closer than ever.

JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: We're now very close, very close, and could bring some of these hostages home very soon.

But I don't want to get into the details of things, because nothing is done until it's done.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister (through translator): The return of the hostages we are making progress.

I don't think it is worth saying too much, not at even this moment.

But I hope there will be good news soon.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Hamas political official Khalil Al-Hayya: KHALIL AL-HAYYA, Hamas Political Bureau Member (through translator): We believe that we are in decisive moments in this matter, and we all hope, God willing, that this truce will be the cessation of aggression for days and the entry of relief for our people.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Israeli and U.S. officials tell "PBS NewsHour" Hamas would release 50 women and children and Israel would release 150 women and children currently detained in Israeli prisons, hold fire for four to five days, increase humanitarian assistance into Gaza, and restrict drone surveillance flights over Gaza.

But the war goes on.

Today, Israel attacked the Jabalia refugee camp in Northern Gaza.

It's a tightly packed area full of Palestinian families who fled from present-day Israel when Israel gained independence.

Today, it's a moonscape.

The IDF says they have killed dozens of Hamas militants who fled to Jabalia from Gaza City.

IDF spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari: REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, Spokesperson, Israeli Defense Forces (through translator): We completed the encirclement of Jabalia, which is a significant combat zone.

We have the upper hand in every battle.

We will continue to eliminate Hamas terrorists wherever they are.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Including Hamas' infrastructure in hospitals.

At the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Central Gaza, Israeli drones are constant.

And the neonatal intensive care unit is full of babies fighting to survive.

DR. ASHLEEN, Al-Aqsa Hospital: Their lives are endangered because we have a shortage of fuel, we have a shortage of electricity.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Dr. Ashleen says the fuel that powers the incubators that keeps them alive is running low.

She says this 2-week-old baby girl was left in orphan and in critical condition with a brain injury after her family was killed in an airstrike.

DR. ASHLEEN: She is in very critical condition.

Hopefully, we -- we try hard to keep her alive.

But if -- even if she is kept alive, so who to care with her?

She lost the parents.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Five thousand miles away, Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke to a virtual gathering of the BRICS, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, about the war and a path to peace.

Xi called for a two-state solution.

XI JINPING, Chinese President (through translator): There can be no sustainable peace and security in the Middle East without a just solution to the question of Palestine.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the war on the U.S. and said the BRICS should be negotiating.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, Russian President (through translator): The loss of thousands of lives, the mass expulsion of civilians and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe are of grave concern.

All these events are a direct consequence of the United States' desire to monopolize the mediation.

NICK SCHIFRIN: As for the hostages, there is no monopoly on these negotiations, to be sure, only risks.

And, at this hour, Amna with no word from the White House, Jerusalem or Doha, our wait continues.

AMNA NAWAZ: A painful wait for so many.

But, Nick, walk us through what we know about a potential deal here.

How would it work?

NICK SCHIFRIN: So, part of the negotiation that has been happening is for safe passage for these hostages to go from Hamas control into Israel.

And in the past, a kind of pilot was done by the U.S., Israel, Hamas, Egypt, and Qatar that released two Americans.

And that pilot allowed the ICRC to bring those two hostages from Hamas into Israel and hand them over to Israeli troops.

The idea this time is that they would be handed over to Israeli troops and, from there, go to about half-a-dozen hospitals that Israel has already been -- has already identified.

Many of them will need medical attention.

The National Security Council staff today said they'd been held in abhorrent conditions.

Some, of course, have preexisting conditions that will need to be addressed.

And then, depending on the nationalities, they would go, of course, and be repatriated.

In total, we believe that, as many as about 30 children and 60 women are being held by Hamas.

This deal only allows for 50 of them to be released.

We're not sure which 50.

We're also not sure of which of the 10 Americans will be released, but we know that there are three Americans in this category, beginning with a 3-year-old, 3-year-old Abigail Mor Idan.

You see her there.

Her parents were both killed on the morning of October 7.

And there are two American women being held.

Liat Beinin Atzili was a tour guide at Israel's Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem.

And Judih Haggai was kidnapped from the kibbutz Nir Oz in Southern Gaza.

That's her right there.

but, again, we don't have -- do not have the confirmation of who exactly will be released.

AMNA NAWAZ: Nick, any hostage negotiation is fraught and high-stakes.

Why has this one been so particularly difficult?

NICK SCHIFRIN: The first reason is shuttle diplomacy.

Of course, Israel is not talking to Hamas.

The United States is not talking to Hamas.

And so in the middle are Qatar and Egypt, and they have been the one passing messages to and from all the sides.

And Hamas, I'm told, is not always reliable.

It is a terrorist organization, after all.

Secondly, it's not only Hamas.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad have been holding hostages.

And some Israeli officials believe even civilians are holding some of these hostages separate from Hamas.

And, thirdly, on the other side, there's been Israeli resistance.

Tonight, Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with his government, the coalition.

There has been resistance from especially the far right parties in that coalition to hold cease-fire at all as part of the deal, let alone any reduction in surveillance flights that might have to happen as well.

But the bottom line, Netanyahu made clear tonight that a cease-fire will not be the end of this war.

He actually called that - - quote -- "nonsense."

Instead, he said: "We will continue the war until we achieve all of our war aims after the hostages are released."

AMNA NAWAZ: Nick Schifrin reporting on the latest on this imminent, hopefully, hostage deal.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Hopefully.

Nick, thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: Thanks, Amna.