28 November 2023; MEMO: The leaders of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Israel’s Mossad met Qatar’s prime minister in Doha today to build on the two-day extension of a truce between Israel and Hamas, a source briefed on the visit said.
The meeting was “to build on the progress of the extended humanitarian pause agreement and to initiate further discussions about the next phase of a potential deal,” the source told Reuters.
The outcome of the talks, which were also attended by Egyptian officials, was unclear, the source added.
CIA Director William Burns was in Doha “for meetings on the Israel-Hamas conflict including discussions on hostages,” a US official said on condition of anonymity. The official did not elaborate.
Burns, David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met one day after Doha announced the two-day extension of an original four-day truce deal in Gaza that had been due to expire overnight.
Qatar has been leading negotiations between the Palestinian group and Israel.
The truce has brought the first respite to the Gaza Strip in seven weeks during which Israel bombed the territory heavily killing more than 15,000 people, the majority children.
Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas, which governs Gaza.
