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Israeli intelligence agency Mossad Director David Barnea has reportedly requested U.S. assistance in convincing countries to accept hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents for relocation, according to reports from Washington.
According to the Axios news website, Barnea conducted meetings in Washington this week and met with U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Barnea informed Witkoff that Israel is particularly conducting discussions with Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya, the report stated.
The Mossad director allegedly requested U.S. support to "displace the people of Gaza and convince countries that would accept them," according to the claims.
While Witkoff did not make a definitive commitment, Barnea reportedly proposed that the U.S. could offer "attractive opportunities" to the countries in question.
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Meanwhile, Hamas defended that Israel has no choice but to conduct prisoner exchanges according to the conditions they have set forth.
In a statement from Hamas on the matter, it was noted that Israeli forces failed in raids organized to rescue prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
"After the occupiers' (Israel) failure to rescue prisoners, they have no choice but to agree with the resistance fighters according to their own conditions and will, ensuring all national and human rights, especially the lifting of the siege and ending the policy of mass starvation," the statement said.
Israel's Yedioth Ahronot newspaper, citing sources knowledgeable about the negotiations, reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Israeli negotiation team to continue staying in Doha, the capital of Qatar, until a cease-fire agreement is reached in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that an additional release of hostages from the Gaza Strip is expected soon.
"We got most of the hostages back. We're going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished pretty quickly," Trump told Republican senators at the White House.
Trump praised his special Middle East envoy for his role in the sensitive negotiations.
"Steve Witkoff has been fantastic. He's done a great job in that. He's a very good man, a good deal maker," Trump added.
At least 25 Palestinians were killed and more than 70 others injured Saturday when Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd of starving civilians in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, according to medical sources.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the Palestinians had gathered near an aid distribution center affiliated with an American-Israeli company in search of food, as humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate.
The Israeli army fired a volley of live ammunition at the crowd, resulting in a high number of casualties, the agency said.
Nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while attempting to get much-needed humanitarian aid at sites mostly associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American organization backed by Israel, according to UN figures.
The GHF started operating in Gaza in late May, bypassing the UN and other established NGOs.
The Israeli army has pursued an offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to reports.
The bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and the spread of disease.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its operations in the enclave.
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