US seeks delay of Israeli ground operation to allow more time for hostage talks

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty ImagesThe US government has pressed Israel to delay its imminent ground operation Gaza to allow for the release of more Hamas hostages and aid into Gaza, according to two sources briefed on the discussions. “The (administration) pressed Israeli leadership to delay because of progress on the hostage front,” and the need to get trucks of aid into Gaza, one person familiar with the discussions said. When US President Joe Biden was asked Saturday if he was encouraging Israel to delay the invasion, he responded: "I'm talking to the Israelis." “The same procedures" used to release the Raanans would be employed for the new proposed release, the statement said. An official in the Israeli prime minister’s office told CNN on Friday, after news of the Americans’ release, that it may have been an attempt by Hamas to lessen the Israeli military response.