CIA Director William J. Burns met with senior Qatari and Egyptian officials on Wednesday in the latest effort to mediate an agreement to end the fighting in Gaza and free hostages captured during the October 7th attack.
Burns met in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian General Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel, according to a source familiar with the matter cited by The New York Times, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The same official reported that the Qatari Prime Minister and the Egyptian General Intelligence Chief also met with Hamas leaders in Doha on the same day.
He added that the meeting with Burns focused on finding ways to bring Israel and Hamas closer to a ceasefire, stating, “Qatar received an initial positive response from Hamas to the ceasefire proposal put forward by US President Joe Biden last week, but it is still awaiting an official response.”
However, publicly, Netanyahu continued to insist that Israel would not cease fighting in Gaza until Hamas’s military capabilities were destroyed.
Two of Netanyahu’s right-wing extremist ministers threatened to withdraw from his coalition and topple his government if he agreed to any deal leaving Hamas “intact.”
Amid these disputes, Burns’s visit to Doha was not expected to make significant progress, according to another person familiar with the negotiations.
The New Ceasefire Proposal
US President Joe Biden announced a new proposal to end the war in Gaza last Friday, comprising three stages.
Stage One
Biden explained that the first stage would last for six weeks, including a comprehensive ceasefire, Israeli army withdrawal from major population centers in Gaza in exchange for the release of women, wounded, and elderly hostages held by Hamas, hundreds of Palestinians from Israeli prisons, and the return of northern Gaza residents to their areas.
Stage Two
Biden outlined that the second stage of the proposal would see the release of the remaining living hostages while Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza and the ceasefire continues, with humanitarian aid deliveries at a rate of 600 trucks per day.
Stage Three
In the third stage, a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza will be implemented.
