CIA Director William Burns is visiting the French capital, Paris, to hold meetings to revive the process of ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip and the prisoner exchange deal between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel.
Axios quoted an American official as saying that Burns will discuss the file in meetings with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and the head of the Israeli intelligence service (Mossad), David Barnea.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that Burns is working on drafting broad lines for prisoner exchange and ceasefire talks.
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.”
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 Kan channel said that the Chief of Staff, the head of the Mossad, the head of the Shin Bet, the Defense Minister, and the two Ministers in the War Council, Benny Gantz and Minister Gadi Eisenkot, support heading for a deal with Hamas, and claim that it is necessary at this time.
The Commission also confirmed that the War Cabinet agreed to a settlement regarding the number of detainees to be released, but there are other points of disagreement with the Hamas movement.
Senior Israeli military officials believe that even if the general framework for stopping the war is agreed upon, Israel is able to resume firing if needed after a few months.
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.