Israel-Hamas hostage deal could come this week — here’s what we know

A deal between Israel and the militant group Hamas to release some hostages could be reached in the coming days, though no terms have been finalized yet, according to several U.S. officials.

“We think that we are closer than we have been, perhaps at any point since these negotiations began weeks ago,” U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Officials have been tight-lipped when speaking publicly on the hostage negotiations, due to the sensitive and malleable nature of the talks. They have made it clear, however, that nothing has been decidedly settled.

For example, White House officials rejected the premise of a Washington Post story reported on Saturday stating that a “tentative deal” had been reached. The Post, citing people familiar with the negotiations, said that Israel and Hamas had come to an agreement to release roughly 50 of Hamas’ hostages and in return, Israel would temporarily pause its combat operations for five days.

After the story published, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson posted on X, formerly Twitter, to clarify that no such deal had been officially reached. The Post did not issue a correction but eventually changed the headline of the story to state that the deal was “close” rather than tentatively complete.

Hamas is currently holding roughly 240 hostages. Many of the hostages are believed to be from foreign countries, including about a dozen Americans. Hamas released four hostages after earlier negotiations arbitrated by Qatar.

As the current deal appears to inch closer to a final version, here are some lingering questions and what we know so far.

When might a deal be reached?

The timeline for the deal appears to have become a matter of hours and days, not weeks.

Israeli ambassador Michael Herzog said on ABC’s “This Week” that “a significant number of hostages” could be free “in the coming days.”

Deputy National Security Advisor Finer nodded to that timeframe in…