CIA director expected to visit Egypt for Gaza talks: Report
US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns is expected to visit Cairo this week for Gaza ceasefire talks, Egypt’s Al Qahera News TV has reported, according to Reuters.
The Egyptian news outlet, with ties to the country’s intelligence agencies, cited a high-ranking unnamed source saying Burns will also travel to Qatar. Al Qahera News added Egypt will host an Israeli delegation this week.
Both Israel and Hamas have come under increased pressure to reach a deal, but talks surrounding a United Nations-backed plan outlined by US President Joe Biden in May have stalled in recent weeks.
Hamas official says talks on captives possible without permanent ceasefire
The news agency AFP is quoting a top Hamas official as saying the group is ready to discuss a deal to free the captives in Gaza without a “complete and permanent ceasefire”.
Hamas previously made a permanent ceasefire a prerequisite to start negotiations on a swap. The unnamed official said “this step was by-passed as the [Qatari] mediators pledged that as long as the prisoner negotiations continued, the ceasefire would continue”.
