U.S.: "Not sure if there will ever be a hostage deal"

Senior officials in the White House, State Department, and Pentagon estimate that chances of reaching a ceasefire agreement and release of hostages before the US elections have vanished, and that current President Joe Biden will no longer succeed in bringing the sides to reach agreements.

According to the Wall Street Journal report, a senior official told the newspaper that "there's no deal close, I'm not sure if there will ever be one." Additionally, a senior official in an Arab country said that "there's no chance a deal will happen now. Everyone is in a 'wait and see' mode until the end of the US elections. The results will determine what can happen under the next administration."

According to the report, US administration officials made it clear that they will not stop working to achieve a deal, but noted that their pessimism stems from these two factors: the number of Palestinian prisoners Hamas demands to be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for hostages, and the "Operation Beepers" against Hezbollah, which resulted in hundreds of operatives being wounded and dozens killed. The officials fear that the operation, attributed to Israel, increased the likelihood of a regional war breaking out and complicated negotiations with Hamas.

It was also noted that the mediators are increasingly frustarted with Hamas's refusal to compromise and that they feel that the terrorist organization is not truly interested in a hostage deal and ceasefire.