U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is briefing Israel’s leaders on the Hamas’ response to a proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held there since the terror attacks of October 7th.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Blinken explained before the meeting, “But we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed essential and we will continue to work relentlessly.”

It has been four months since the Hamas terror attacks on Israel which killed 1200 people.

Israeli leaders have said they are committed to pressing ahead until there is “total victory,” while Hamas is demanding an end to the war altogether.

We learned on Tuesday, more than a-fifth of the 136 remaining captives in Gaza are dead, according to an internal assessment by the Israeli military.

Several military sources say 32 families have been told the devastating news.

Hamas is said to have laid out a three-phase plan to unfold over 4.5 months, responding to a proposal drawn up by the United States, Israel, Qatar and Egypt.

All hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and an end to the war.

The proposal would effectively leave Hamas in power in Gaza and allow it to rebuild its military capabilities, a scenario that Israeli leaders have adamantly rejected.