William J. Burns, the C.I.A. director, arrived in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday for a brand new spherical of negotiations geared toward releasing extra hostages held in Gaza, based on U.S. officers.
Mr. Burns and David Barnea, the pinnacle of the Mossad, Israel’s spy service, are scheduled to fulfill with Qatari officers. Qatar, which hosts Hamas’s political management in Doha, has been a mediator within the talks between Israel and Hamas.
Qatar introduced on Monday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to increase a pause in combating for 2 extra days to change extra hostages and prisoners and to permit extra support to return into Gaza.
One U.S. official mentioned Mr. Burns’s talks in Qatar can be meant to construct on that settlement.
U.S. officers have been deeply concerned in pushing for a deal to launch hostages taken throughout the Hamas-led assaults on Israel on Oct. 7. Mr. Burns traveled to Doha on Nov. 9 as he and Mr. Barnea held talks with Qatari officers who’ve been engaged on the difficulty.
Hamas and Israel lastly reached a deal on Nov. 21, and exchanges started later that week. In the course of the first 4 days of the truce, 50 Israelis or twin nationals had been launched beneath the framework of the deal, and a further 19 hostages — 17 Thais, one Filipino and one Russian-Israeli twin citizen — had been launched by separate negotiations. In change for the discharge of the Israelis and twin nationals, Israel paused its navy marketing campaign in Gaza, allowed extra support to move into the enclave and launched some Palestinian prisoners.
Some American officers have expressed hope that the non permanent pause might be prolonged into one thing of a extra everlasting cease-fire, although Israeli officers have mentioned their navy marketing campaign should proceed.
A spokeswoman for the C.I.A. mentioned the company doesn’t touch upon the director’s journey.
Israel has been involved that a number of the Hamas hostage releases have separated youngsters from their moms or damaged aside siblings. All through the talks this month, Israeli officers have pressed for Hamas to launch whole households and over the weekend careworn to American officers that they didn’t consider Hamas was dwelling as much as the discount.
These considerations had been addressed sufficient on Monday for the pause to be prolonged and for the events to conform to extra talks in Doha.
Mr. Burns was chosen to symbolize the US within the hostage talks after Israel chosen Mr. Barnea to work with the Qatari authorities to safe a deal. Neither Mr. Burns nor Mr. Barnea has negotiated immediately with Hamas officers, as a substitute working by Qatari intermediaries.
President Biden has usually used Mr. Burns as a secret negotiator, profiting from his lengthy diplomatic expertise and the C.I.A.’s coverage of making an attempt to maintain the director’s journey secret.
However Mr. Burns is especially properly fitted to the present negotiations. A former ambassador to Jordan, he has a deep degree of belief with leaders throughout the Center East, based on U.S., Israeli and Arab officers. Throughout his go to to Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Qatar earlier this month, he targeted largely on constructing help for an settlement to launch hostages.