Cairo: US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns is planning to visit the Egyptian capital of Cairo within a week to participate in talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a deal on hostage exchange, Egyptian broadcaster Al Qahera News reported, citing a high-ranking source.
An Israeli delegation is also expected to arrive in the Egyptian capital within a few hours to resume ceasefire talks, the report said on Sunday.
On Saturday, the broadcaster reported that Egypt would receive delegations from Israel and the United States to discuss unresolved points of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. On the same day, the Axios news portal reported that Burns would visit the Qatari capital of Doha next week to participate in talks on a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza.
Some 120 Israeli hostages are believed to be held by Hamas, including 40 who are presumed dead. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said last week that his negotiators had received Hamas’ comments on a prospective deal that would ensure the release of hostages in return for a ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli intelligence chief David Barnea went to Qatar on Friday to press on with indirect talks with Hamas. Netanyahu’s office said negotiations would resume next week and that there were still differences between the two sides.
Through various operations and humanitarian efforts, 135 people were released from Hamas captivity, a figure that includes the dead hostages whose bodies were removed from the enclave.
