Heads of CIA, Mossad may discuss prisoner-captive deal in Cairo
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The heads of the CIA and Israeli Mossad agency are expected to meet with top Egyptian and Qatari officials Tuesday for talks on a prisoner-captive deal.
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Demonstrators rally during the March on Washington for Gaza near the White House in Washington, Saturday, January 13, 2024. (AP)
US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns and the head of the Israeli Secret Intelligence Service (Mossad), David Barnea, plan to hold a meeting in Cairo on February 13 to negotiate an agreement between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance, in an effort to halt confrontations and secure the release of hostages, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
The report indicates that Egyptian and Qatari officials are expected to participate in the negotiations. That said, they believe Barnea's plan to visit Egypt was a sign that "Israel" is ready to negotiate a possible agreement with Hamas.
A diplomatic source briefed on the progress of the negotiations told the newspaper that former discussions were constructive and there was a desire to reach a compromise. The diplomat said that the main points are still the issue of a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
Read next: Resistance turns down one-sided Israeli temporary ceasefire proposal
Earlier this month, negotiations took place over a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces, sources told Al Mayadeen on February 5. The stipulations of the agreement being drawn up included the issues of the ceasefire, withdrawal, prisoner-captive exchange, reconstruction, displaced people, the entry of aid, and the lifting of the siege imposed on Gaza.
Intelligence obtained by Al Mayadeen indicates that the Paris Document touched on the captive-prisoner exchange but completely neglected the ceasefire and the withdrawal from Gaza, whereas the Resistance's agreement highlighted those issues as pivotal.
There is no clause confirming a ceasefire after the truce ends, and there are no regional or international guarantees that the Israeli occupation would not resume hostilities after it; there also are not enough details regarding the essential issues of the Resistance and Gaza in and of itself, the sources said.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
