Officials say CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, are in Qatar for talks on extending the Israel-Hamas truce and releasing more hostages.
Quick Read
- Focus on Israel-Hamas Truce: CIA Director William Burns and David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad, are in Qatar to discuss extending the Israel-Hamas truce.
- Qatar’s Mediation Role: Qatar has been instrumental in mediating with Hamas, contributing to the establishment of the current cease-fire.
- Recent Cease-Fire Extension: The cease-fire, which began on Friday, has been extended through Wednesday.
- Hostage Releases: So far, under the truce, Hamas has released 69 hostages, including 51 Israelis. In response, Israel has freed 150 Palestinian prisoners.
- Participation of Egypt: Officials from Egypt, another key mediator in the conflict, have joined the talks in Qatar.
- Confidentiality of Talks: The presence of Burns and Barnea in Qatar was confirmed by a diplomat and a U.S. official, both speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.
- Goals of the Meeting: The talks aim to continue the release of hostages, including potentially freeing Americans and Israeli security force members.
- Security Measures: Details about Burns’ travel are kept confidential for security reasons, as per standard practice for high-level intelligence officials.
- Broader Diplomatic Efforts: This meeting in Qatar underscores ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve issues related to the Israel-Hamas conflict and to stabilize the situation in the region.
The Associated Press has the story:
CIA Director holds talks in Qatar on extending truce in Gaza, freeing more hostages
Newslooks- DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)
Officials say CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, are in Qatar for talks on extending the Israel-Hamas truce and releasing more hostages.
Qatar has played a key role in mediating with Hamas, and helped broker a cease-fire that went into effect on Friday and has been extended through Wednesday. So far, Hamas has released 69 hostages, including 51 Israelis, and Israel has released 150 Palestinian prisoners.
A diplomat confirmed that Burns and Barnea were in Qatar on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. The diplomat said officials from Egypt, which has also served as a mediator, joined the talks.
A U.S. official confirmed Burns was in Qatar, speaking on condition of anonymity because the CIA director’s travel plans are not publicized for security reasons. The official said Burns was in Qatar to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict and the hostages.
Burns’ focus is expected to include freeing Americans among the hostages and keeping the releases going overall, which could lead to more male hostages and the first known Israeli security force members being released, the U.S. official said.
The meeting in Qatar was first reported by The Washington Post.
