US Central Intelligence Agency Director Bill Burns will join hostage talks in Qatar on Friday as negotiators work toward a deal that would secure the release of hostages held in Gaza along with a ceasefire. temporary, sources familiar with the plans said Thursday.
The head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, David Barnea, will travel to Qatar on Friday for talks, the Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement on Thursday.
Barnea will meet with Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel, according to the statement.
“The meeting of senior officials will be held within the framework of negotiations in Doha, which aim to advance efforts to return the hostages,” he said.
CNN has asked the CIA for comment.
Burns has been instrumental in trying to reach a deal over the hostages, traveling several times to the Middle East and Europe for talks. The efforts have not yet resulted in an agreement.
However, there were signs that progress was being made, and US officials this week expressed cautious optimism that a deal could be reached.
In an interview on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said negotiations to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal are “getting closer.”
“I think the gaps are narrowing and I think a deal is very possible,” Blinken said in an interview with Saudi news channel Al Hadath in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
