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US officials are saying a deal to release hostages taken from Israel by Hamas last month is "closer than ever before".

A statement by the leader of Hamas said that they have sent a response to Qatar which has been mediating talks over the release of hostages taken from southern Israel. Hamas kidnapped an estimated 240 people and killed more than 1,200 Israelis on 7 October.

Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has said 13,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military.

Now, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross has travelled to Qatar and apparently has met Hamas leaders.

In Israel meanwhile, there have been fraught interactions between some of the families of hostages and the Israeli government.

Among the families is Udi Goren whose cousin, Tal Haimi, went missing on October 7.

"This is a deal that my cousin would not be a part of because they're mainly talking about the elderly women, children and maybe injured people and Tal would probably not be in that group."

"I would have liked to see everybody come back immediately at any cost, that would keep Israel safe, of course."

(Pic: Udi Goren (L) and his cousin Tal Haimi (R); Credit: Rotem Cohen/Tal Haimi's family)

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