CIA Director Burns, key figure in Gaza hostage talks, to visit Cairo for another round

After push for a Gaza hostage deal before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan last month was unsuccessful, CIA Director William Burns, who is a key figure in continuing negotiations, is yet again slated to travel to Cairo on Saturday for further talks.

According to a New York Times report, citing a person briefed on the plans, US officials believe negotiating a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas and the exchange of Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel is the only way to put a temporary cease-fire into effect and increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave.

Burns is likely to be joined by Israel’s spy agency Mossad chief David Barnea and negotiators from Egypt and Qatar. Neither the Americans nor the Israelis speak directly to Hamas. Instead, their proposals are relayed through Egyptian and Qatari officials, who speak to members of Hamas.

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The cease-fire discussions have hit a roadblock for weeks now. Following a phone conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Thursday, Biden reiterated his call for a negotiated agreement leading to an “immediate cease-fire” and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The current deadlock centers around the issue of allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, a key demand from Hamas that Israel has been hesitant to accept, according to the report, citing people familiar with the negotiations.

Burns, a seasoned diplomat and former negotiator now leading the CIA, has presented several proposals in an attempt to move the discussions forward, urging parties to endorse plans to present to Hamas. Whether Burns will introduce a new proposal at the upcoming meetings remains uncertain.

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The pace of negotiations has been sluggish partly due to the lengthy process of conveying proposals from the negotiation sessions to Yehia Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza and the alleged mastermind behind the October 7 attack on Israel. Sinwar has been greenlighting all Hamas counterproposals concerning hostage negotiations. He is believed to be in hiding within the tunnels beneath Gaza, shielded from Israeli incursions by a group of hostages he is using as human shields.

With inputs from agencies