US, Israel spy chiefs in Qatar for talks on truce, hostage release
By Julian E. Barnes
WASHINGTON — CIA Director William Burns arrived in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday (28) for a new round of negotiations aimed at freeing more hostages held in the Gaza Strip, according to US officials.
Burns and David Barnea, the head of the Mossad, Israel’s spy service, are scheduled to meet with Qatari officials. Qatar, which hosts Hamas’ political leadership in Doha, has been a mediator in the talks between Israel and Hamas.
Qatar announced Monday (27) that Israel and Hamas had agreed to extend a pause in fighting for two additional days to exchange more hostages and prisoners and to allow more aid to come into Gaza.
One US official said Burns’ talks in Qatar would be meant to build on that agreement.
US officials have been deeply involved in pushing for a deal to release hostages taken during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. Burns travelled to Doha on Nov. 9 as he and Barnea held talks with Qatari officials who have been working on the issue.
Hamas and Israel finally reached a deal on Nov. 21, and exchanges began later that week. During the first four days of the truce, 50 Israelis or dual nationals were released under the framework of the deal, and an additional 19 hostages — 17 Thais, one Filipino and one Russian-Israeli dual citizen — were released through separate negotiations. In exchange for the release of the Israelis and dual nationals, Israel paused its military campaign in Gaza, allowed more aid to flow into the enclave and released some Palestinian prisoners.
Some US officials have expressed hope that the temporary pause can be extended into something of a more permanent cease-fire, though Israeli officials have said their military campaign must continue.
A spokesperson for the CIA said the agency does not comment on the director’s travel.
Israel has been concerned that some of the Hamas hostage releases have separated children from their mothers or broken apart siblings. Throughout the talks this month, Israeli officials have pressed for Hamas to release entire families and over the weekend stressed to US officials that they did not believe Hamas was living up to the bargain.
Those concerns were addressed enough on Monday for the pause to be extended and for the parties to agree to additional talks in Doha.
Burns was chosen to represent the United States in the hostage talks after Israel selected Barnea to work with the Qatari government to secure a deal. Neither Burns nor Barnea has negotiated directly with Hamas officials, instead working through Qatari intermediaries.
President Joe Biden has often used Burns as a secret negotiator, taking advantage of his long diplomatic experience and the CIA’s policy of trying to keep the director’s travel secret.
But Burns is particularly well suited for the current negotiations. A former ambassador to Jordan, he has a deep level of trust with leaders across the Middle East, according to US, Israeli and Arab officials. During his visit to Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Qatar this month, he focused largely on building support for an agreement to release hostages.
-New York Times
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