CIA Director William Burns proposed a new approach for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage agreement in a meeting on Sunday with Israeli and Qatari counterparts, Axios’ Barak Ravid reported on Monday, citing three Israeli officials.
Burns met Sunday in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and Mossad Director David Barnea.
The suggested plan involves a 28-day pause in hostilities, with Hamas releasing about eight hostages and Israel releasing dozens of terrorists prisoners.
The proposal outlines a four-week pause in Gaza fighting, the release of approximately eight women or men over 50 held by Hamas, and the release of several dozen terrorist prisoners from Israeli custody.
According to Axios, the plan excludes a central Hamas demand—that any agreement include an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a complete halt to the conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday that he would only support a partial deal, not a full end to the war, making these positions incompatible.
"Israel agrees to a temporary pause, but Hamas wants a pause that would open a process that would lead to irreversible Israeli steps. If neither side softens its position, there isn’t going to be a deal," a senior Israeli official told Axios.
Hours before the discussions in Doha began, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi publicly confirmed that Egypt had proposed a partial agreement involving a 12-day ceasefire and the release of four hostages. Burns, al-Thani, and Barnea had already been working on a concept for a partial deal and explored ways to build on the Egyptian proposal during their meeting on Sunday, according to Israeli officials.
Earlier on Monday, a source involved in the negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal being conducted in Doha told the Quds Press news agency that Hamas does not support a limited timeframe of several days in which the organization would return some of the hostages and afterwards the fighting would continue.
Later, however, sources in Hamas told the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the terrorist organization is willing to consider Sisi’s proposal for a hostage release deal as well as other proposals.
Qatari and Egyptian mediators are expected to meet with Hamas officials in the coming days to discuss the proposal and potential next steps.
Burns is expected to travel to Cairo later this week to discuss the issue with Egypt's new intelligence chief, Hassan Rashad, according to a source familiar with the matter.