Negotiations to free hostages are quietly underway

Negotiations to free the hostages taken by Hamas and other terror groups to Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack, are intense and ongoing as Qatar continues to mediate deal-making between Israel and Hamas, according to multiple U.S. officials. 

The U.S. is assisting with the complicated hostage diplomacy, and this week President Biden’s top Mideast adviser Brett McGurk is heading to Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar with other stops possible. McGurk is part of a small circle involved in the delicate talks, as is National security adviser Jake Sullivan, a U.S. official told CBS News.

“It is the case that there are active negotiations underway between Israel and Qatar, who is communicating with Hamas, and the United States is involved in those discussions, very much involved in those…