Critical summit in Paris: Will there be a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas?

Israel's state television KAN announced that officials from Israel, the US, and Qatar met yesterday in France's capital, Paris, to discuss restarting ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas and a prisoner exchange between the parties.

According to KAN's report, Mossad Director David Barnea met in Paris with US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to revive prisoner swap negotiations between the Tel Aviv administration and Hamas.

The report stated that during their meetings in Paris, Barnea, Burns, and Al Thani would work to “formulate the general outlines of talks between Israel and Hamas in order to promote a renewed agreement for a prisoner swap.”

The report noted that ministers in the Israeli war cabinet Benny Gantz and Gadi Eizenkot, as well as Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the heads of all of Israel's security and military units (the army, Mossad, and Shin Bet/Shabak), stated that a deal with Hamas must be reached; however, it was also noted that Israel remains insistent on sticking to its position on contentious issues with Hamas regarding the agreement.

A report in the Times of Israel newspaper yesterday stated that CIA Director Burns would meet with Mossad Director Barnea and Qatari Foreign Minister Al Thani to revive prisoner swap negotiations between the Tel Aviv administration and Hamas.

The report, which did not provide details regarding the exact date of the meeting or the country in which it would be held, stated that it was unknown whether Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel would participate in the meeting.

It was reported that the Israeli War Cabinet, in a meeting held on May 22 that lasted 5 hours, instructed the negotiating team to continue talks to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and reach a prisoner exchange agreement.

HAMAS HAD APPROVED THE CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL

Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh had informed Qatar and Egypt on May 6 that he had approved their proposals regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Following Hamas's announcement that it had approved the “ceasefire proposals” conveyed by Qatar and Egypt, the Israeli War Cabinet decided to continue attacks in Rafah.

In a statement on May 6, the Israeli army requested the evacuation of certain neighborhoods in the east of Rafah, where forcibly displaced Palestinians had taken refuge, and on the morning of May 7, it launched a ground offensive into the Rafah region of Gaza, announcing that it had seized the Gaza side of the border crossing with Egypt.

It is stated that there are 128 Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas.

News Source: AA