CIA Director in Cairo for potential ceasefire agreement: Axios
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According to the report, Burns' trip demonstrates the Biden administration's urgency in reaching an agreement quickly, seeing this as a critical moment in negotiations.
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CIA Director Bill Burns listens to testimony during a House committee hearing on March 8, 2022, in Washington, DC. (AP)
According to Axios, CIA Director William Burns arrived in Cairo on Friday to help Egyptian mediators in negotiating a captive and ceasefire agreement between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian resistance, Hamas.
According to the report, Burns' trip demonstrates the Biden administration's urgency in reaching an agreement quickly, seeing this as a critical moment in negotiations.
Axios earlier reported that US President Joe Biden has been making extensive efforts in recent days to secure a ceasefire and a captive deal between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance, Hamas, which he believes is a critical component of a much larger plan at home and abroad, Axios cited US officials as saying.
White House Spokesperson John Kirby stated on Tuesday that Biden is completely focused on the matter, citing that a ceasefire would possibly pave the way for normalization between the occupation and Saudi Arabia, adding that it "has to start with a deal."
The Hamas politburo head informed the Egyptian minister that the movement's delegation for negotiations will arrive in Egypt "very soon," with the intention "to continue the ongoing discussions," with the goal of achieving "an agreement that meets the demands of the Palestinian people and stops the aggression."
According to US officials, a deal and captive agreement may put out other flames in the vicinity, including strikes by Yemen's Armed Forces (YAF) on ships in the Red Sea.
Senior Biden aides said the agreement might also allow the Lebanese Resistance, Hezbollah to retreat from the northern border.
A temporary truce may become permanent, allowing the Biden administration to resume discussions for a momentous mega-deal with Saudi Arabia, which officials divulge may bring Netanyahu to agree to a Palestinian state.
This would not only be a significant victory for Biden who is suffering from an abysmal approval rating for his backing of the Israeli occupation, but his team also believes a ceasefire may help to de-escalate protests on US college campuses.
Axios earlier reported that a new Israeli proposal for a potential captive deal with Hamas involves a "willingness" to discuss the "restoration of sustainable calm" in the Gaza Strip following an initial release of captives on humanitarian grounds, Axios reported two days ago, citing Israeli officials.
Hamas stands firm rejecting external pressure, studying proposal
The Hamas representative in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, in an interview with Al Mayadeen, said that although the movement is "seriously studying" the proposals for a ceasefire agreement, it is "too early to judge the results," noting that the papers presented contain "general phrases that could suggest something ambiguous," and emphasizing the role of the negotiators in this part.
Abdel Hadi pointed out that the only sides discussing positive outcomes from reaching an agreement are the US and Israeli sides. He stressed that no one has succeeded in pressuring the Resistance to accept any deal and emphasized that "the popular support for the Resistance cannot raise the white flag."
Regarding the threat of an Israeli military operation in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Abdel Hadi said, "Netanyahu wants to prolong the war, and he agreed to a partial cessation of it. The threat to invade Rafah is to pressure the Resistance," he said, stressing that "many surprises will confront the Israeli Prime Minister if he decides to invade Rafah."
On a different note, Abdel Hadi discussed the development of the protest movement in US universities, which he considered "one of the results of the Al-Aqsa Flood," and predicted that these protests will spread "to all universities in the world, and this is a very important development in terms of the Palestinian cause."
