U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel for talks Wednesday with Israeli leaders about a proposed pause in fighting in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and President Isaac Herzog come a day after Blinken said Hamas leaders had given their response to the proposal.

Blinken told reporters in Doha, Qatar, that the United States was studying the response intensely, and that it had been shared with Israel.

“We will be working as hard as we possibly can to try to get an agreement so that we can move forward with not only a renewed but an expanded agreement on hostages and all the benefits that would bring with it,” Blinken said.

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden described the response from the militant group as "a little over the top" and said the negotiation is continuing.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar helped craft the cease-fire proposal that is currently under consideration, which would include a pause in fighting lasting several weeks and the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

US Considers Hamas' Response to Proposed Hostage Deal, Says Blinken

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A previous temporary cease-fire in late November lasted for a week and brought the release of more than 100 hostages from Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The Israeli military said Tuesday that 31 of the remaining hostages are dead.

In Doha, Blinken held talks Tuesday with Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

Al-Thani told reporters through a translator, “We have received a reply from Hamas with regards to the general framework of the agreement, with regards to hostages. The reply includes some comments, but in general, it is positive.”

The Qatari prime minister expressed optimism and said he hopes it will yield results on the hostage release in exchange for an extended cease-fire deal “very soon,” but declined to elaborate on the details due to its sensitivity.

Earlier Tuesday, Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo.

“Secretary Blinken and President el-Sissi discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. “Secretary Blinken emphasized the United States’ rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and commitment to establishing a Palestinian state that provides peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

At the United Nations, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that within the Gaza Strip, 20 partners have provided food assistance, reaching approximately 1.8 million people between Jan. 29-Feb. 4.

Additionally, the World Food Program distributed more than 190,000 food parcels in January, which is sufficient for approximately 955,000 people for 10 days. These parcels were provided to displaced individuals living in informal camps and with host communities in the Gaza Strip, Dujarric said.

Also Tuesday, Martin Griffiths, the U.N.'s emergency relief coordinator, said in a statement that as hostilities in Gaza enter a fifth month, the population of the southern city of Rafah has surged fivefold, with families crammed into shelters and forced to sleep outdoors.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Rafah is already accommodating half of Gaza's population of about 2 million.

A previous temporary cease-fire in late November lasted for a week and brought the release of more than 100 hostages from Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Netanyahu has recently increased pressure on Qatar, questioning its mediation role and urging Qatar to use its influence over Hamas for the hostages' release.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noted a shift in Israeli strategy due to Qatar's negotiation stance, which he says aligns with Hamas' demands, which Israel rejects.

“The Qatari position in negotiating now is the Hamas position, permanent cease-fire, removal of all Israeli forces in exchange for hostages being released. That is an unacceptable end state to the Israelis,” Goldberg told reporters in a recent press call.

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, which governs Gaza, after the militant group sent fighters rampaging into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli tallies.

Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Britain, the European Union and others, also took about 240 people hostage.

Israel's air and ground military operations in Gaza have killed more than 27,500 Palestinians and injured 66,900 others, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. The ministry includes both civilians and militants in its count but says 70% of those killed were women and children.

VOA U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer and White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report. Some information for this story came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.