CIA director returns to Middle East to push for hostage, cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel
CBSN
Washington — CIA Director William Burns quietly traveled to the Middle East and was in Doha, Qatar, on Friday to press the Biden administration's case for a hostage release deal between Hamas and Israel that would coincide with a six-week temporary pause in fighting to allow humanitarian aid to be surged into Gaza, multiple sources told CBS News.
Burns arrived in Doha on Thursday night ahead of meetings with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Friday, having first traveled to Cairo for a round of talks with officials there.
The multi-stop trip has not involved a meeting of the "quad" — representatives from the U.S., Qatar, Egypt and Israel — in contrast to past talks, according to the sources, and Burns is not expected to stop in Israel. He is scheduled to testify Monday before the Senate Intelligence Committee for its annual hearing on worldwide threats.
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