Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire Hangs on 11th-Hour Talks Over Hostages

Negotiators were racing Thursday to overcome sticking points in a deal to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas and pause the war, after last-minute issues delayed an agreement weeks in the making.

The handover of the first group of hostages, planned for Thursday, now won’t happen until Friday at the earliest, Israeli and regional officials said. Senior Egyptian officials blamed the setback on last-minute demands from Hamas and its failure to hand over a list of the first group of hostages it planned to release.