According to a report published in The New York Times, there is currently a flurry of negotiations being held by top Israeli, American and Arab officials about the end of the war in Gaza, the release of the remaining Israeli hostages and the future of the Gaza Strip.
The NYT report says that the negotiations follow three tracks, the first being a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, involving the release of the hostages and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The second track centers around the reshaping of the Palestinian Authority to the point that parties involved are comfortable with it taking control of leadership in Gaza after the end of the war.
The third track, led by Saudi and American officials, is pushing Israel to allow conditions for the creation of a Palestinian state, in exchange for the forging of formal recognition between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
These negotiations are ongoing and quite far from reaching an agreement, however they continue parallel to other efforts to bring the war to at least a temporary pause.
Some ideas being thrown around in the negotiations involve transferring PA power from Mahmoud Abbas to a younger successor, sending an Arab peacekeeping force to Gaza after the war, and passing A UN resolution recognizing the Palestinian right to statehood.
The report says that both Hamas and the current Israeli government are acting as obstacles to some of these negotiations, as the Israeli stance, as led by PM Netanyahu, is that a Palestinian state is out of the question, while Hamas maintains that post-war Palestinian governance is an internal Palestinian issue that is not part of negotiations.
Here's what you need to know 113 days into the war:
■ Thousands protest in various demonstrations across Israel, demanding the release of hostages, immediate elections, and the removal of Netanyahu
■ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the press conference held this evening that the demonstrations of the families of the hostages do not help the effort to reach a deal for their release. "It only strengthens the demands of Hamas," Netanyahu said. "Nobody needs to encourage me, because I deal with it all the time. It doesn't help."
■ The Hostages and Missing Families Forum responded to Netanyahu's statement, saying that "if Noa, Yair and Avner [Netanyahu's children] were in Gaza, he would be demonstrating with us."
■ The U.S., Canada, Australia, Italy, U.K., the Netherlands and Finland have all announced suspension of funding for the UN's Relief and Works Agency, amid allegations that UNRWA employees were involved in the terror attacks on October 7.
■ Hamas condemned UNRWA's chief for deciding "to terminate contracts with a number of UNRWA employees in Gaza based on Zionist information. We strongly reject UNRWA's announcement that describes resistance forces as terrorist organizations … it's not UNRWA's role to take a political stance," the Hamas statement continued.
■ Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz commended "the U.S. government for its decision to cease funding to UNRWA," adding that it had "been warning for years: UNRWA perpetuates the refugee issue, obstructs peace, and serves as a civilian arm of Hamas in Gaza."
■ Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior PLO official, posted on X urging the countries to reverse their decision to pause funding to UNRWA. He said that at this time, "we need the maximum support for this international organization" as the decision has great "humanitarian relief risks."
■ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a press conference on Saturday night that he "doesn't take back one word I said about Qatar," and that "the probe into the war should be carried out only after the fighting has ended."
■ Israeli Air Force attacked Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including a military post and structure
■ The IDF published a recording of residents of the Gaza Strip evacuating from Khan Yunis and chanting: "The people want to overthrow Hamas." Major General Ghasan Alyan, coordinator of government activities in the territories, said that in recent days, "more and more evidence of public criticism voiced by the residents of Gaza against the terrorist organization Hamas" has been accumulating.
■ According to IDF data, there are 37 soldiers who are hospitalized in serious condition. Another 249 soldiers are hospitalized in moderate condition and another 101 in mild condition. Since the beginning of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, 258 soldiers have been seriously injured. Since fighting began on October 7, the number of seriously injured soldiers stands at 418.