Hostages' release will lead to 'significant' pause in Gaza war - US official

US President Joe Biden's top adviser on the Middle East said on Saturday the release of hostages held by the Palestinian terror group Hamas would lead to a surge in the delivery of humanitarian aid and a significant pause in fighting in Gaza.

"The hostages are released, you will see a significant, significant change," Brett McGurk said at the IISS Manama Dialogue security summit in Bahrain.

Bahrain's crown prince, speaking at the summit on Friday, called on Hamas to release Israeli women and children held hostage and for Israel in exchange to release from its prisons Palestinian women and children who he claimed were non-combatants.

UAE worried over Israeli long-term presence in Gaza

A top foreign policy adviser to the United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Saturday that statements from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a longer-term presence in Gaza were worrying. READ MORE