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Negotiators near deal with Hamas to release hostages
Negotiators are getting closer to an agreement with Hamas to release an initial 50 civilians in exchange for Israel allowing in more aid including fuel, coinciding with a limited pause in fighting, multiple sources told CBS News. More civilian hostage releases could potentially follow.
At this stage, there is no firm deal in hand but rather a written draft agreement that is being passed between parties who remain locked in what were described to CBS News as very difficult talks brokered with the help of the U.S. and Qatar, according to two sources familiar.
In an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” White House deputy national security advisor Jon Finer said that “many areas of difference that previously existed” in the hostage talks “have been narrowed,” and that the U.S. is “closer than we have been to reaching a final agreement.”
Finer said it would not be helpful to detail the developing diplomacy in public, and acknowledged the caveat that past deals had been close before collapsing. Hopes were high last week that a breakthrough in diplomacy was finally imminent, but two officials in the region cited the Israeli military move on al-Shifa hospital as having complicated diplomacy with Hamas.
CBS News
A source familiar with the draft agreement told CBS News that the proposal as it stands now would involve 50 hostages being released on day one with a limited pause in fighting that would last around four days for a duration of six hours a day. If that release and pause happens as planned, there would be a second release of around 20-25 hostages, according to this source. White House officials declined to comment on the sensitive diplomacy.
In a press conference on Sunday in Doha, Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani described the remaining sticking points to the emerging deal between Israel and Hamas as “very minor” logistical matters and said the parties are “close to reaching an agreement.”
Sources familiar with the talks have said there are several recent complicating issues, including whether overhead surveillance would happen during the releases. Israel has also demanded that Hamas provide some accounting for the captives it holds or can obtain from other militant groups such as Islamic Jihad, as the total figure of more than 200 hostages remains just an estimate. Last week, two of those unaccounted for who were believed to have been hostages, Noa Marciano and Yehudit Weiss, were found dead by the IDF nearby the 45,00-square-meter al-Shifa hospital complex in Gaza. The remains of those slaughtered by the terror group Hamas and other militants during the Oct. 7 attack in Israel continue to be identified.
“Obviously, Gaza is an extremely dangerous place to be a civilian, to be a hostage held at this point,” Finer told CBS’ Margaret Brennan, “so there is a time imperative.”
Finer said he wouldn’t use the phrase “running out of time,” but “we feel acutely that this should be done as soon as possible.”
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell last week that Israel had “strong indications” hostages were held in al-Shifa hospital, which was one of the reasons he cited for the Israeli Defense Forces’ decision to enter al-Shifa. However, Netanyahu added “if there were they were taken out.”
The United States has not produced intelligence to confirm the assessment, but did issue downgraded intelligence last week that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members operate a “command and control node” from al-Shifa hospital and tunnels underneath, and have used it for both weapons and hostages.
Finer said the U.S. is still confident in its assessment, and said that the Israeli military is still “exploiting” the al Shifa facility to find further information.
On Saturday in Manama, President Biden’s top Mideast adviser Brett McGurk described the hostage talks as intensive and ongoing before heading to Doha for meetings with the Qatar Prime Minister that night. In public comments, McGurk echoed Israel’s call for the release of a “large number of hostages” in order to lead to a “significant pause in fighting” and what he described as a “massive” surge of humanitarian relief. He acknowledged that one of Hamas’ demands has been to receive fuel and humanitarian supplies. McGurk did not make public mention of an earlier request by Hamas for the release of an undetermined number of Palestinian women and children from Israeli detention centers.
“That’s the bargain they set,” McGurk has said from the earliest days. McGurk said the onus remains on Hamas to release all of the hostages – “the women, the children, the toddlers, the babies, all of them.”
CIA director Bill Burns is back in Washington but has remained involved following his meetings in recent weeks with the Mossad chief. President Biden himself has been working the phones, calling Qatar’s Emir on November 12th and as recently as Friday, an indication that a resolution was near.
Qatar is using its relationship with Hamas to mediate and the U.S. is helping to broker proposals that are passed from a tight circle in Doha to Hamas leaders in Gaza as well as Israel’s five-person war cabinet that is led by Netanyahu.
CBS News
Helene disrupts yellow jacket, bee nests in North Carolina, prompting massive Benadryl, EpiPen requests
Deadly flooding from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina has disrupted the underground nests of yellow jackets, bees and other insects, causing them to swarm and sting people struggling to recover from the storm.
It has caused such a surge in requests for medication to protect people allergic to stings that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is buying Benadryl and epinephrine injections to help fill requests through hospitals, emergency medical personnel and doctors.
Pharmacists in the state can also provide emergency refills for people who are already prescribed allergy medications, according to a state health department spokesperson. The state is planning to allow people to buy epinephrine injections such as EpiPens without a prescription, and it is working to collect and distribute donations of medicines.
While most people are not allergic to stings from bees and other insects, irritation and pain can be intense and stings can swell and remain painful for days, according to the Mayo Clinic. And some people can have a severe allergic reaction that can lead to anaphylaxis that can cause difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue and throat, weak pulse and loss of consciousness. In these situations, it’s critical to administer epinephrine immediately.
Being stung more than a dozen times can also cause a buildup of venom in the body that can cause serious sickness that can include dizziness, fever, convulsions or vomiting.
To reduce the risk of getting stung, experts recommend wearing long and light-colored clothing that has a smooth finish, avoiding perfumes and smelly soaps and deodorants.
If there’s only one stinging insect around, they recommend staying calm and still, and to avoid swatting at it. But if several are stinging, they say it’s better to try to quickly get indoors or into a shaded area. Bees release a chemical when they sting that attracts other bees.
Several hospitals across the U.S. are grappling with shortages of IV fluid after flooding from Hurricane Helene forced medical fluid manufacturers to halt production.
Baxter International, the leading supplier of IV fluids to hospitals, said its facility in Marion, North Carolina, remains closed for the foreseeable future.
“Baxter’s North Cove facility affected by flooding and currently closed for production as the company assesses extent of the impact,” the company says in a statement on its website.
The company, which supplies about 60% of the country’s IV fluid bags, added that it’s working with federal agencies to support recovery efforts and “mitigate supply disruption to patients.”
IV fluids are administered intravenously to treat dehydration and are critical for surgery, during which patients are asleep for a long time and unable to eat and drink.
“Remediation efforts are already underway, and we will spare no resource — human or financial — to resume production and help ensure patients and providers have the products they need,” José (Joe) E. Almeida, chair, president and chief executive officer at Baxter, said in a statement.
Mass General Brigham is among the health care systems that has not received its usual supply of IV fluid. Chief preparedness and continuity officer Dr. Paul Biddinger said during a press conference Friday that the hospital network expects to receive about 40% of what it usually gets from Baxter.
Biddinger called the supply constraint “one of the biggest shortages” the hospital network has ever dealt with.
Other manufacturers of IV fluids say they’re ramping up production to help cover the shortage. B. Braun said none of its manufacturing sites were affected by the Hurricane Helene, and that it’s “taking immediate steps to increase production at our pharmaceutical manufacturing sites in Irvine, California, and Daytona Beach, Florida, focusing on critical IV fluids.”
The company as also placed its products on “protective allocation” and is encouraging providers that administer IVs to practice conservation, including by using alternative hydration methods, a spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch.
ICU Medical, another IV fluid manufacturer, said it’s also taking steps “to increase production to help meet market needs while continuing to support our existing customers.”
Hospitals also experienced IV fluid shortages in 2017, when Hurricane Maria disrupted manufacturing.
“Having experienced similar challenges in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017, we continue to be mindful of how we manage the supply of these medications to ensure minimal impact on our patients. Hospital operations continue as normal and patient care remains unaffected,” Dr. Biddinger of Mass General Brigham said in a statement.
Several hospitals across the U.S. are grappling with shortages of IV fluid after flooding from Hurricane Helene forced medical fluid manufacturers to halt production.
Baxter International, the leading supplier of IV fluids to hospitals, said its facility in Marion, North Carolina, remains closed for the foreseeable future. In a statement on its website, the company says, “Baxter’s North Cove facility affected by flooding and currently closed for production as the company assesses extent of the impact.”
The company, which supplies about 60% of the country’s IV fluid bags, added that it’s working with federal agencies to support recovery efforts and “mitigate supply disruption to patients.”
IV fluids are administered intravenously to treat dehydration and are critical for surgery, during which patients are asleep for a long time and unable to eat and drink.
“Remediation efforts are already underway, and we will spare no resource — human or financial — to resume production and help ensure patients and providers have the products they need,” José (Joe) E. Almeida, chair, president and chief executive officer at Baxter, said in a statement.
Mass General Brigham is among the health care systems that has not received its usual supply of IV fluid. Chief preparedness and continuity officer Dr. Paul Biddinger said during a press conference Friday that the hospital network expects to receive about 40% of what it usually gets from Baxter.
Biddinger called the supply constraint “one of the biggest shortages” the hospital network has ever dealt with.
Other manufacturers of IV fluids say they’re ramping up production to help cover the shortage. B. Braun said none of its manufacturing sites were affected by the Hurricane Helene, and that it’s “taking immediate steps to increase production at our pharmaceutical manufacturing sites in Irvine, California, and Daytona Beach, Florida, focusing on critical IV fluids.”
The company as also placed its products on “protective allocation” and is encouraging providers that administer IVs to practice conservation, including by using alternative hydration methods, a spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch.
ICU Medical, another IV fluid manufacturer, said it’s also taking steps “to increase production to help meet market needs while continuing to support our existing customers.”
Hospitals also experienced IV fluid shortages in 2017, when Hurricane Maria disrupted manufacturing.
“Having experienced similar challenges in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017, we continue to be mindful of how we manage the supply of these medications to ensure minimal impact on our patients. Hospital operations continue as normal and patient care remains unaffected,” Dr. Biddinger of Mass General Brigham said in a statement.
Helene disrupts yellow jacket, bee nests in North Carolina, prompting massive Benadryl, EpiPen requests
Hospitals across the U.S. face IV fluid shortage after Hurricane Helene
Hospitals across the U.S. face IV fluid shortage after Hurricane Helene
Helene disrupts yellow jacket, bee nests in North Carolina, prompting massive Benadryl, EpiPen requests
Hospitals across the U.S. face IV fluid shortage after Hurricane Helene
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