CIA chief heads to Doha for Gaza talks
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Delegations from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States will convene in Doha to discuss mechanisms for restarting truce negotiations in the Gaza Strip.
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CIA Director William Burns testifies during a US Senate hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 11, 2024. (AFP)
CIA Director Bill Burns will travel to Doha to consult with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani regarding the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal and Hamas' response, as stated by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to journalists.
According to Egyptian broadcaster Al-Qahera, citing sources, delegations from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States will convene in Doha on Wednesday to discuss mechanisms for restarting truce negotiations in the Gaza Strip.
"Bill Burns is going to be in Doha consulting with the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed, because Sheikh Mohammed, as well as the emir of Qatar [Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani], who [US] President [Joe] Biden spoke with yesterday, have had extensive discussions with Hamas. Bill Burns will be quite interested in hearing first-hand in person what the nature of these discussions was and where things are going from here," Sullivan said aboard Air Force One en route to France on Tuesday.
The US official claimed that Hamas has not yet responded to the latest ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip, while US authorities "have no doubt" in the Israeli stance on the proposal. Last Friday, President Biden presented a new three-phase proposal, outlining a roadmap allegedly aimed at achieving a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all captives.
Read more: Hamas 'views positively' ceasefire proposal laid out by Biden
Simultaneously, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated on Saturday that any suggestion of "Israel" agreeing to a permanent ceasefire before "the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities" was "a non-starter".
Israeli official calls Biden ceasefire deal description 'not accurate'
US President Joe Biden’s description of "Israel’s" ceasefire proposal was "not accurate", a senior Israeli official told NBC News on Monday, disputing claims that the occupation agreed to completely withdraw its forces from Gaza in exchange for the captives.
“Israel has not changed its conditions to reach a permanent ceasefire. That will only happen after our objectives are met, including destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities,” the official said, noting that even though the White House claimed the plan originated from "Israel", the proposal was put forward by mediators that "Israel" made changes to.
“It’s strange that they say it’s an Israeli proposal and at the same time that Israel needs to agree to it,” the official continued, adding that "Israel" was awaiting Hamas’ formal response to the proposal.
During an interview for the UK's Sunday Times newspaper, Ophir Falk, chief foreign policy advisor to Netanyahu, said that "Israel" was not rejecting the deal as it was "a deal we agreed to — it’s not a good deal, but we dearly want the hostages released."
