CIA director going to Europe to help broker Israel, Hamas deal
- More than 130 hostages remain in Gaza, according to the AP
- Officials are in negotiations for another deal to release them
- CIA director will go to Europe to meet with Qatar's prime minister, others
Palestinians try to extinguish a fire at a building of an UNRWA vocational training center which displaced people use as a shelter, after being targeted by Israeli tank shill in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)
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(NewsNation) — CIA Director Bill Burns will travel to Europe in the coming days to help broker a deal between Israel and Hamas to secure the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza, NewsNation has learned.
He is expected to meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and Mossad director David Barnea.
Burns has been “involved in helping us with the hostage deal that was in place and trying to help us pursue another one,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Thursday, according to NewsNation partner The Hill.
Discussions about a renewed hostage deal have been “sober and serious,” Kirby said. White House adviser Brett McGurk is in the Middle East working on negotiations.
The Israel-Hamas war has been raging since Oct. 7, when the militant group attacked the southern part of the country, killing 1,200 and taking 250 hostage.
Since then, more than 25,700 Palestinians have been killed and another 63,000 wounded in Gaza, the Associated Press reports.
Back in November, Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary pause in fighting in exchange for the release of dozens of hostages, as well as Palestinian prisoners. More than 100 hostages were released during this weeklong truce, but more than 130 currently remain held in Gaza, including some who have died or were killed, according to the AP.
For the November deal, Burns had traveled to Doha, Qatar’s capital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.