The Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza is one of the main Hamas jihadist base and storage facility. 

Hundreds of demonstrators in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv called on Sunday (November 12) for the release of more than 200 hostages being held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government says Hamas fighters took more than 200 captives in an Oct. 7 surprise attack that killed 1,200 people.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday told NBC News that there "could be" a hostage deal soon, which he said was the result of the pressure Hamas faced from Israel's ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday said Washington was involved with what he called a "sensitive negotiation" with other nations to secure the release of hostages.

But on Sunday a Palestinian official briefed on the hostage talks said Hamas had suspended the negotiations because of Israel's handling of the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, where medical staff say they have been completely cut off by the Israeli military.

There was no immediate comment from either Hamas or Israel about hostage negotiations.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air and artillery strikes, around 40% of them children, since the Oct. 7 attack.