The Israelis have "basically accepted" a six-week ceasefire proposal in Gaza, a senior Biden administration official told reporters Saturday. A second phase would be worked out over those six weeks "to build something more enduring." The six-week ceasefire would allow for the release of hostages being held in Gaza and the flow of aid into the beleaguered coastal enclave. That official said there is a "framework deal" that Israel has "more or less accepted." The sticking point, the official said, is that Hamas has not yet agreed to a "defined category of vulnerable hostages." "This vulnerable category of hostages, which is the first phase, is the deal," the official said. The official added the US has held "a number of meetings" in Israel and a meeting in Paris in the past several weeks. The official also said meetings are "ongoing" Saturday in Doha, Qatar. It was revealed that more talks are planned in Cairo, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The exact timing of the talks is unclear, but they will be held at the expert level. Recent talks in Paris have included the director level. Negotiators from the US, Israel, Egypt and Hamas are expected to attend, according to a diplomatic source familiar with the discussions. It's not clear if Qatar will attend. Discussions between Israel and Hamas would be indirect, in separate rooms. In another development, the United States and Jordan air-dropped humanitarian aid into Gaza, US Central Command said Saturday, one day after President Joe Biden asserted the US would pull out "every stop" to get more aid into the besieged coastal enclave. The combined operation by the US Air Force and the Royal Jordanian Air Force saw US C-130 aircraft dropping 38,000 meals along the Gaza coastline, CENTCOM said in a statement. There were 66 total bundles dropped – 22 from each of three aircraft, a US official said. There was no water or medical supplies in the bundles. "These airdrops are part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza, including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors and routes," CENTCOM said. White House officials described Saturday's operation as "successful." "The fact that today's airdrop was successful is an important test case to show that we can do this again in the coming days and weeks successfully," a senior administration official said during a call with reporters Saturday. The senior official added that the Defense Department is planning on conducting additional airdrops in Gaza in the days ahead but declined to offer further details. On Friday, Biden bemoaned the slow pace of assistance into Gaza while announcing the upcoming airdrops. Speaking alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office, Biden also said the US was working to broker a ceasefire that would allow for additional aid. Biden said he would "insist" that Israel allow more trucks and routes for aid into Gaza. "We're going to insist that Israel facilitate more trucks and more routes to get more and more people the help they need, no excuses," Biden said. "Innocent lives are on the line, and children's lives are on the line." Other countries, including the United Arab Emirates and France, have air-dropped aid into Gaza. But Saturday's operation was a first for the US. Prior to the announcement of Saturday's operation, several aid agencies criticized the US plans to drop food aid as ineffective, as the United Nations warns that hundreds of thousands of Gazans are on the brink of famine. Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group's UN director, said on social media: "Humanitarian workers always complain that airdrops are good photo opportunities but a lousy way to deliver aid." — CNN
