In an attempt to reach an agreement to end the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which has lasted for 9 months, delegations from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Israel are meeting in Doha today, Wednesday.
Efforts to Bridge Views
Sources have reported that mediators are convening to resume ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip, according to Cairo’s news channel. A high-level source stated that the Egyptian security delegation, led by the head of the General Intelligence Directorate, Abbas Kamel, is tasked with bridging the views between Hamas and Israel to reach a truce agreement as soon as possible.
It was also added that there is agreement on many points, and that the negotiations will return to Cairo on Thursday. Additionally, a source close to the talks, who requested anonymity, told Reuters that David Barnea, head of the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad), will also attend the meeting.
Meeting between Burns and El-Sisi
On his part, a knowledgeable source told Reuters that the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, will also attend, following his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Tuesday.
The Egyptian presidency stated that el-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s position against the continuation of military operations in the sector. He also emphasized during his meeting with Burns the need to take “serious and effective steps” to prevent the Gaza conflict from spreading to a wider region.
It is noted that Egypt and Qatar are leading mediation efforts in the war that has been ongoing for 9 months between Israel and Hamas, hoping to end the fighting and secure the release of detainees in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Hamas made concessions last week, but said that a new Israeli attack on Gaza on Monday threatened the truce talks at a critical moment.
