President Biden plans to have CIA Director Bill Burns meet with negotiators from Qatar, Egypt and Israel to help broker a deal that would see Hamas release all hostages in exchange for a Gaza ceasefire, officials say. I made it.
Burns is scheduled to visit Europe in the coming days and meet with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Israeli Mossad Director David Barnea, Egyptian Intelligence Director Abbas Kamel and others. A person familiar with the plan told The Washington Post..
Qatar and Egypt are leading the talks, but a stalemate remains with Israel and Hamas refusing to accept the other side's terms of a temporary ceasefire and hostage exchange.
A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 that Burns would help push negotiations forward as the US remains an active member of the negotiating table and negotiators are expected to “apply joint pressure on Hamas.” He said it was expected.
The CIA and the White House declined to comment on Mr. Burns' alleged overseas assignments.
In addition to moving negotiations forward, Burns will also likely be tasked with smoothing things over between Israel and Qatar.
This week, Qatari officials accused the Jewish state of obstructing negotiations after reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly characterized Qatar's role as a mediator in the Gaza war as “problematic.” was.
The quote, which appeared on an Israeli news broadcast, was allegedly leaked from a meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held with the families of more than 130 Israelis still held captive in Gaza.
The prime minister's statement cited Qatar's role as a host country for Hamas leadership and the fact that the country provides millions of dollars in aid to Palestinians living in Gaza.
But Qatar has been touted by the United States as a key ally in the region, having helped broker hostage deals in the past, including a November ceasefire that freed more than 100 prisoners from Gaza.
“These statements, if verified, are irresponsible and destructive to efforts to save innocent lives, but they are not surprising,” Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majid Al-Ansari wrote in X on Wednesday night. .
Prime Minister Netanyahu did not respond to criticism from Qatari officials.
Amid the rift, Qatar announced that Hamas would halt negotiations with Israel until the Israel Defense Forces completely withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip. According to i24 News.
Qatari negotiators say Hamas is demanding a “package deal” covering all stages of the hostage exchange and ceasefire in Gaza, while Israel has repeatedly tried to negotiate the deal one step at a time. He emphasized that
The deal recently discussed called for a month-long ceasefire that would allow for the safe release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel.
