US President Joe Biden's senior advisor for the Middle East, Brett McGurk, who is currently in the region, discusses the details of a possible deal regarding the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, in addition to an Israeli operation that may be imminent in Rafah.

A White House spokesman said: “Brett McGurk, the president’s senior advisor in the Middle East, will discuss the details of the Israeli hostage deal.”

He added, "McGurk will discuss the details of the Rafah operation with the Israeli Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu), specifically the security and safety of a million and a half civilians there."

He stated, "The United States was unable to support today's Security Council resolution, because it would have jeopardized the hostage deal talks," he said.

The White House said: "We want Israel to succeed in confronting Hamas, but while emphasizing the importance of the safety of civilians in the Gaza Strip."

He continued: "We still maintain our position that a permanent ceasefire in Gaza will strengthen Hamas's position, and therefore we oppose."

He added: "We want to complete the Israeli hostage deal as soon as possible, to implement the ceasefire and save lives in Gaza."

The White House said that it does not want "an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, and our envoy Amos Hockstein is engaged in intensive talks to achieve that."

He stated, "Any major operation in Rafah would be a disaster in light of the current situation, with more than a million people not safe."

Earlier today, the Axios website, citing three unnamed Israeli and American officials, reported that McGurk is expected to visit Israel and Egypt this week to hold talks regarding the possible Israeli military operation in Rafah and efforts to release Israeli hostages in Gaza.

According to officials, McGurk is expected to meet with Major General Abbas Kamel, head of Egyptian General Intelligence, and other Egyptian officials in Cairo, tomorrow, Wednesday.

This comes as Hamas announced, on Tuesday, the arrival of a delegation from the movement headed by the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, to Cairo to hold discussions with Egyptian officials about the political and field conditions in Gaza, and the efforts made to stop the Israeli war, provide relief to the Palestinians, and achieve their goals.

Negotiations continue under Egyptian and Qatari mediation between Hamas and Israel in order to reach a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, in light of international and regional concerns about the danger of Tel Aviv expanding its military operations in Rafah, which is crowded with displaced people.

Hamas insists on “a complete cessation of Israeli aggression, the withdrawal of the occupation army from Gaza, and a commitment to reconstruction” in order to reach a prisoner exchange agreement.