Welcome to the news hour. In Gaza today the war reached a staggering milestone.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says 40,000 Gazans have been killed since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th. It comes in yet another

fraught moment for the region. Negotiators met again in Qatar to try and find a path

toward a Gaza ceasefire which the US believes is the best way to prevent the war a is here now he's been following both stories Nick let's just begin with the negotiations how close are the two sides to a deal a

US official told me tonight that the talks were quote

constructive and would continue tomorrow and that the mediators were discussing the implementation

of the deal rather than debating the framework, but spoke to a regional official

involved in the talks, Amna, and this official said the two sides were entrenched and the talks were difficult.

The framework that we're talking about overall remains the same, a six-week ceasefire,

an initial release of more than 30 prisoners, the female elderly, and the infirm.

Israel would release an initial 700 Palestinian detainees, including those convicted of terrorism, Israel would allow quote the surge of

humanitarian aid but over the last month regional and Israeli officials tell me

that Israel has focused a few points that are now being debated.

Number one, the Philadelphia corridor between Gaza

and Egypt, Israel says that it must now control that corridor.

Number two, checkpoints that would screen Gazans moving from southern to

northern Gaza to prevent Hamas fighters movement. Number three, all 30 hostages

must be released initially must be alive. It's not clear that Hamas can actually

deliver that and which Palestinian prisoners Israel can refuse to release.

Now National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said before the talks began that the two sides had

narrowed the gaps but again that regional official telling me tonight Hamas

says it's already made concessions and it's not willing to make anymore.

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