CIA Director Bill Burns is scheduled to travel to Cairo for discussions aimed at securing the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The talks, involving Mossad’s chief, top Qatari, and Egyptian officials, come after President Joe Biden urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expedite a deal for the hostages’ return.
The dialogue is anticipated to focus on a proposed deal that might see a six-week ceasefire in Gaza and the release of 40 hostages, including women, elderly men, and those in critical medical conditions. In exchange, around 700 Palestinian prisoners might be released from Israeli custody. This proposal follows a period of stagnation in negotiations, with Israel recalling its team from Qatar and attributing the deadlock to Hamas’s intransigence, a position contested by the White House.
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