Jake Sullivan: Hostage Negotiations with Hamas ‘Are Ongoing’

EXCERPT:

SULLIVAN: "Well, negotiations are ongoing, and I have to be careful about what I can share publicly on this subject because of the sensitive and delicate nature of those negotiations. But we are in almost hourly contact with regional partners and with Israel to try to get to a point where there is a deal to have the hostages released. It is difficult. It is challenging. The Hamas terrorists have not been forthcoming about allowing these hostages to go. But we believe that there can be still be a pathway to get their release, and we are going to work tirelessly to make that happen. And even though we have started to see Israel move in on the ground, that has not changed our basic view that this has to remain a paramount priority, that we have to keep working at it, and those negotiations are ongoing.“