CIA Director William Burns will arrive in Israel tomorrow, Monday, to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an attempt to save the Cairo negotiations. Earlier, a source familiar with the matter reported that the CIA director had traveled to Doha to meet with the Qatari Prime Minister to discuss mediation in the war between Israel and Hamas.
The source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, stated that Burns is on his way to the Qatari capital to hold talks with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose country is involved in efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.
The source added: "With no breakthroughs occurring in the recent talks between Egypt and Israel in Cairo, Burns is headed to Doha for an urgent meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister to discuss whether it is possible to get the negotiations back on track."
Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, has been facilitating negotiations for months as part of efforts to halt hostilities in the Gaza Strip. The last round of talks between the mediators and the Palestinian movement in Cairo concluded on Sunday, while Israel and Hamas openly blamed each other for the failure to reach an agreement.
Mediators are seeking to reach a deal, and Israeli broadcasting agency reported on Sunday "American efforts led by CIA Director William Burns aimed at reaching a final agreement in Cairo," while identifying some obstacles posed by the Israeli Prime Minister when he rejected Burns' request to send the Israeli delegation to Cairo.
The Israeli broadcasting agency added that "there are strong indications that Hamas has dropped its demand to end the war in the first phase of the deal," but noted "the possibility that Egyptian leaks about positive progress aim to delay the start of operations in Rafah," where Tel Aviv threatens to invade the city, which has become the last refuge for about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.
