After his trip to Egypt, CIA Director William Burns will be in Qatar today as efforts continue to reach an Israel-Hamas deal to release hostages held by the Islamist group.
According to CBS News, there is hope that Burns can help restart those efforts that fizzled in late October.
Burns is one of several senior officials the Biden administration has sent abroad in an effort to prevent the conflict from expanding, support ongoing efforts to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The US has focused on freeing 50 civilians
The US estimates there are about 200 hostages and has focused on freeing about 50 civilians. Steve Gillen, the deputy special envoy for hostage issues, has been in Israel for weeks with other State Department officials working on the issue.
Israel publicly claims that Hamas is not serious about freeing the hostages, but US, Israeli and Qatari officials continue to work behind the scenes with a particular focus on hostages who hold dual citizenship.
The agreement
On the same subject, the Associated Press, as relayed by the Guardian, reports that negotiations are underway to reach a three-day humanitarian truce in Gaza in exchange for the release of about a dozen hostages held by the Islamist organization.
That’s according to two officials from Egypt, one from the United Nations and one Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic efforts.
The deal will allow more aid, including limited amounts of fuel, to enter the besieged enclave to ease the worsening conditions of the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped there.
Those efforts are being mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, according to the officials and the diplomat.
Source: in.gr
