The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, has a meeting with the head of Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad, in Europe. The purpose of the meeting is to make a renewed effort to secure the release of hostages being held in Gaza.

The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, has a meeting with the head of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, in Europe. The purpose of the meeting is to make a renewed effort to secure the release of hostages being held in Gaza.

December 18, 2023 Benjamin Hughes

CIA Director William Burns is holding a meeting in Poland on Monday with David Barnea, the director of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, and Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al Thani, the Qatari Prime Minister. The goal of the meeting is to work towards securing the release of numerous hostages who have not yet been freed.

imprisoned in Gaza
, as reported by a United States official who is knowledgeable about the negotiations. The identical collective convened on two occasions.last month

Together with officials from Egyptian intelligence, I was in Doha, Qatar.

The latest meeting follows bilateral talks between Barnea and al Thani on Friday, which marked the first attempt by both sides to restart hostage negotiations after a week-long st

The truce between Israel and Hamas fell apart on December 1st.

According to sources who are knowledgeable about the situation, Burns and Egyptian intelligence officials were informed about those discussions.

American and Israeli leaders have stated that prior discussions came to a halt due to a disagreement regarding the remaining female captives. The Israelis have demanded their release before discussing other groups, such as older or sick men. Hamas asserts that these women are Israeli Defense Forces soldiers, a claim that has been refuted by both the U.S. and Israel.

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There is increased pressure on Israel to retrieve the approximately 130 hostages thought to be held by Hamas and other allied groups in Gaza, following the acknowledgment from the Israel Defense Forces that some of their soldiers mistakenly entered the territory.opened fire

Three Israeli hostages were killed on Friday by their captors, who shot them while they were holding a white flag.

Israeli soldiers mistakenly identified hostages as a threat, resulting in friendly fire casualties at 07:09.

In November, Burns, a previous ambassador to Jordan and Russia, made two trips to Doha to discuss hostages. After the first round of talks, the Qataris, acting as intermediaries for Hamas’ political leaders, declared a temporary ceasefire on November 21. As a result, over 100 hostages were released by Hamas and Israel released over 200 Palestinian prisoners according to the agreement terms.

The CIA chose not to provide a statement regarding the director’s trips.

According to officials from the United States, it is believed that there are eight American citizens who are currently being held as hostages in Gaza. Among them is at least one woman who was anticipated to be released in a previous exchange, however her status and location are still unknown.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is also in the region for meetings in Israel, Bahrain, and Qatar. He is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about subsequent phases of the conflict, which American officials have said they expect to involve more targeted, intelligence-driven operations.

The United States is advising against Israel’s utilization of “unintelligent explosives” because of the significant number of civilian casualties.

will be completed soon

American authorities have stated that the Israelis anticipate the conclusion of the present stage of their actions against Hamas, characterized by ground operations and persistent airstrikes on various targets in the densely populated Gaza Strip, to be imminent.to finish within a few weeks.

During his visit to the region last week, Barnea had a two-hour meeting with national security advisor Jake Sullivan.

A high-ranking government official who informed reporters about Sullivan’s meetings on Friday stated that we are making every effort to find, recognize, save, or obtain the release of all the individuals being held by Hamas.

According to health officials in Gaza, approximately 20,000 individuals have lost their lives in the Palestinian region since Oct. 7. This conflict was initiated by Hamas’ unprecedented act of terror against southern Israel. Israeli authorities report that the attack resulted in the deaths of 1,200 individuals and the abduction of around 240 others.

Source: cbsnews.com