WASHINGTON, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A deal to secure the release of some of the hostages held in Gaza by Hamas militants is closer than ever in the Islamist group's war with Israel, a White House official said on Sunday. "What I can say at this point is that some of the outstanding areas of disagreement, in a very complicated, very sensitive negotiation, have been narrowed," Finer told NBC's "Meet the Press" program. "I believe we are closer than we have been in quite some time, maybe closer than we have been since the beginning of this process, to getting this deal done," he added. "We're talking about considerably more than 12 (hostages)," Finer told NBC. On Saturday, Israel warned civilians in parts of southern Gaza to relocate as it girds for an offensive from the north.

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Persons: Jon, United States Michael Herzog, Israel, David Morgan, Jasper Ward, Leah Douglas, Scott Malone, Bill Berkrot Organizations: White, White House, Washington Post, Press, NBC, Hamas, CBS, Gaza's Health, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, That's