In a statement on Tuesday, Hamas said that a deal was still possible if Israel stopped setting new conditions.
CIA Director William Burns is set to visit Qatar on Wednesday to meet with officials and address the remaining obstacles between Hamas and Israel in securing a ceasefire and a captives release deal, after more than a year of stalemate.
Sources privy to the matter told Reuters that Burns is due to meet Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Doha.
The Gulf state has not publicly commented on the reports.
The CIA has also declined to provide Reuters with a comment on the matter.
Citing anonymous sources, the news agency reported that a ceasefire agreement could be signed “in the coming days” while noting that progress has also been made at the talks in Cairo.
The reported visit of the CIA chief would also come after AFP reported on Monday that an Israeli technical team arrived in Doha to discuss a deal following a trip by the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, to the country last week.
“This is between Israeli and Qatari working-level teams,” the source had told AFP.
The reports signalled a possible momentum in the negotiations following more than a year of stalemate under Israel’s insistence on continuing the brutal war in the Gaza Strip while maintaining its military presence.
In a statement on Tuesday, Hamas said that a deal was still possible if Israel stopped setting new conditions.
“Hamas confirmed that, in light of the serious and positive discussions taking place in Doha today, Tuesday, under the auspices of the Qatari and Egyptian mediator brothers, reaching a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement is possible if the occupation stops setting new conditions,” it said.
The outgoing Biden administration has been scrambling for a deal before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. Trump had repeatedly threatened that “all hell is going to break out” if a deal is not reached by the time of his inauguration.
On December 4, Qatar’s prime minister told Sky News that he was still optimistic in reaching a deal, noting that discussions have already been taking place with the incoming Trump administration.
“We have priorities to stabilise the situation in Gaza, we have priorities in order to restore regional security and such a statement is expected and we hope that it will work,” Sheikh Mohammed explained.
The Gulf diplomatic heavyweight has been a central mediator between Hamas and Israel since the onset of Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip. Mediation efforts stalled since the expiration of a week-long truce deal on December 1, 2023, fueling regional tensions including in neighbouring Lebanon.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 45,000 Palestinian while creating a devastating humanitarian crisis. The figure shared by Palestine’s health ministry is an undercount of the actual death toll with thousands still trapped under the rubble.
