The White House announced today that “serious” discussions are underway for a possible new “cease” in hostilities in the Gaza Strip, which could allow the release of hostages.

Brett McGurk, Joe Biden’s Middle East adviser, is in the region to participate in the negotiations, a White House spokesman said today.

The US president’s envoy “is in Cairo” today and his trip includes other stops in the region, and “one of the things he is discussing is the possibility of a new hostage release agreement, which would involve a humanitarian pause of some duration.” , said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

“We would absolutely be in favor of a pause longer than the week we achieved previously if that gives us an opportunity to release the hostages and add more (humanitarian) aid” to the Gaza Strip, he added.

John Kirby did not want to give more details about how long this pause could last.

According to the US website Axios, Israel offered Hamas, through Qatar and Egypt, a two-month pause in fighting and airstrikes in Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages.

“It is possible that this will lead to wider consequences for the conflict itself, but it is too early to know,” the spokesman also said.

He added that Brett McGurk would also discuss other regional issues on his trip, namely “the continuation of the rationale around the idea of ​​a normalization (of relations) between Israel and Saudi Arabia.”

However, he did not provide more details about the envoy’s trip or his interlocutors.

Nearly 250 people were abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip after the unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7.

About 100 were released in late November as part of an exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, following negotiations brokered by Qatar and in which the United States was actively involved.

According to Israel, 132 hostages are still being held in the Palestinian territory, of whom 28 are believed to be dead.