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CIA chief leads first ceasefire summit in months in bid to reboot talks

With time running out for the Biden administration before next month’s election, CIA Director William Burns set to lead first high-level ceasefire talks in months, hoping to reach breakthrough on hostage deal.

By World Israel News Staff

For the first time in months, officials involved in talks aimed at reaching a hostage deal and ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are set to gather for a summit in Doha, Qatar in a bid to reboot talks which have been deadlocked for much of the year.

CIA Director William Burns, who is leading the American delegation, is set to lead the renewed hostage deal negotiations, the first high-level talks since August.

Time is running out for the Biden administration to reach a breakthrough towards a deal prior to election day next Tuesday, or a final deal before inauguration day next January 20th.

Since early on in Israel’s war with Hamas, the White House has sought to secure the release of hostages abducted by Gaza terrorists on October 7th,  as well as to achieve a lasting truce in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli delegation, headed by Mossad chief David Barnea, is expected to unveil a new plan, offering a framework for a deal drafted in conjunction with Qatari and Egyptian interlocutors.

The summit comes following a whirlwind tour of the Middle East by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with leaders from Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar last week.

Read  Qatar quits hostage negotiations, kicks Hamas officials out of the country

Blinken’s Mideast trip and Sunday’s summit come following the assassinations of high-level Hamas leaders, including politburo chief Yahya Sinwar.

Following the killing of Sinwar, who staunchly opposed any concessions in hostage deal talks, the Biden administration resumed efforts to bring Hamas back to the negotiating table.

However, it is unclear if Burns will continue to push President Joe Biden’s framework for a deal, laid out by the president in May when he proposed a three-phase agreement – or formally embrace the new plan drafted by Israel, Egypt, and Qatar, with input from the U.S.

Israel has sought to shift talks from a narrow focus on the Gaza war to include a comprehensive ceasefire with both Hamas and Hezbollah – a move which could then increase pressure by Hezbollah and Iran on Hamas to make concessions to Israel.