CIA director arrives in Egypt for Gaza cease-fire talks

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) – A US delegation headed by CIA Director William Burns arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Monday for a new round of talks to reach a cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip, Egyptian media said.

The state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel, citing a high-level source, said the US delegation will meet with an Egyptian security delegation to advance the cease-fire talks.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN said early Monday that the head of the Shin Bet security service, Ronen Bar, arrived in Egypt to take part in talks to resolve disputed points in the cease-fire negotiations.

For months, efforts by the US, Qatar, and Egypt to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a hostage exchange and cease-fire have been hampered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas' call to halt hostilities.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Nearly 38,200 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 87,900 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar