American officials told Axios that some progress was made on Thursday during the first day of the latest round of negotiations regarding a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire in Gaza, as Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediators, along with Israeli negotiators, decided to continue discussions for another day. The Doha summit, described by Israeli officials as "the last opportunity" to reach an agreement, occurs amid heightened regional tensions and threats from Iran and Hezbollah to attack Israel in response to the recent assassinations of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr.
The Biden administration stated that a prisoner exchange agreement and a ceasefire are key to easing tensions in the Middle East and preventing the outbreak of a regional war. The deal being negotiated involves the release of 115 Israeli captives held by Hamas in exchange for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, where over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing assault on the territory since October 7.
CIA Director Bill Burns and President Biden’s senior Middle East adviser Brett McGurk met for several hours in Doha on Thursday with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Mossad chief David Barnea, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel in this critical round of negotiations. An informed source told Axios that Hamas representatives in Doha received briefings from Qatari and Egyptian mediators throughout the day.
White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday that the talks in Doha are focused on the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas regarding the details of how the agreement will be implemented. He added that the United States believes the remaining gaps can be bridged, emphasizing the agreement's importance for reducing regional tensions. Kirby also mentioned that the U.S. has intelligence indicating that Iran and Hezbollah are planning an attack against Israel.
At the end of the first day of talks on Thursday, the Qatari Prime Minister spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri and updated him on the discussions' outcomes. The Qatari Foreign Ministry stated that the Qatari Prime Minister stressed to his Iranian counterpart the importance of reducing regional tensions.
