Axios quoted an American official as saying that CIA Director William Burns will meet today, Friday, in Paris, with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Mossad head David Barnea, in an attempt to revive ceasefire talks in Gaza. and prisoner exchange.
An American official had previously told Tel Aviv Tribune that the CIA director would go to Europe for talks in order to “put the hostage talks back on track.”
The official confirmed to Tel Aviv Tribune that Burns will meet his counterparts and senior representatives of the delegations involved in the talks.
This comes amid reports of Israel’s willingness to make significant concessions in order to conclude a deal to return its prisoners detained in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli War Council met the day before yesterday, Wednesday, and decided to direct the negotiating team to continue negotiations in order to recover the prisoners.
Israeli media reports reported that Major General Nitzan Alon, who is responsible for the file of detainees in the Israeli army, drafted a document that includes amendments to the Israeli position in the negotiations.
The Israeli proposal
Axios quoted Israeli officials as saying that the new Israeli proposal includes concessions regarding the number of living Israeli detainees who will be released.
The proposal also includes an implicit willingness to discuss ending the war, the full return of the displaced to their homes, and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Netzarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip.
The Kan channel, affiliated with the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, reported that Israel is awaiting a response from Hamas that includes the number of prisoners it is holding.
Indirect negotiations between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Tel Aviv stopped after its last round in Cairo, with Israel insisting on continuing its attack on the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
The occupation forces began the attack on Rafah hours after Hamas announced on May 6 that it accepted the mediators’ proposal for a ceasefire, which it said fulfilled the demands of the Palestinian people to put an end to the aggression against Gaza, the return of the displaced, and the completion of a serious deal to exchange prisoners.