CNN quoted a source as saying that CIA Director William Burns returned from Tel Aviv to Cairo, where negotiations are continuing to reach an agreement regarding the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
A CIA source told Tel Aviv Tribune that Burns met – yesterday, Wednesday – in Israel with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the heads of the Israeli Foreign Intelligence Service (Mossad) David Barnea and the Israeli Internal Security Service (Shin Bet) Ronen Bar.
Burns arrived in Israel on Wednesday, on a visit whose program was not announced, after participating in the exchange deal talks between Tel Aviv and Hamas with the Qatari and Egyptian mediation parties in Cairo.
During the meeting held in Netanyahu’s office in occupied Jerusalem, Haaretz newspaper quoted a prominent Israeli official – which it did not name – as saying that the two sides discussed the possibility of Israel halting its operations in the city of Rafah, in exchange for the release of Israeli detainees in Gaza.
Bridge the gap
For its part, the White House said that talks are continuing regarding a possible agreement in Gaza, and that the gap between the two sides can be bridged. He added – in a statement – that reaching a “hostage deal” is the top priority of President Joe Biden’s administration, and would lead to a ceasefire.
For his part, an Israeli official said that there are still large gaps in the negotiations, and that the response of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) exceeds Israel’s red lines.
The Walla news website also quoted another Israeli official – who he did not name – as saying that there are still major gaps in the negotiations regarding the prisoner deal in Gaza.
Yesterday, Wednesday, negotiations resumed in Cairo in the presence of all concerned parties, amid American optimism about the possibility of concluding an agreement.
Last Monday, Hamas announced its approval of a proposed three-stage agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza and an exchange of prisoners and detainees, but an Israeli official said that the proposed agreement was unacceptable to Israel due to the “watering down” of its provisions.