Palestinian boys inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Feb. 23, 2024. (Credit: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)
BEIRUT — In the ongoing efforts to reach a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and negotiate a potential exchange of hostages, a high-level meeting is set to take place in Paris on Friday, where international mediators are set to present a new proposal.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have allegedly been working to find a formula to halt Israel's offensive before the approaching month of Ramadan.
These talks will happen as Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, participated in talks in Cairo over the past three days, before leaving Egypt earlier today.
According to a statement published by Hamas, Haniyeh left Cairo today after talks with Egyptian officials, most notably the head of Egypt's intelligence forces, Abbas Kamel. The discussions aimed at ending the five-month-long war and facilitating a hostage deal did not disclose whether there was a breakthrough.
Ahead of the Paris meeting, an Israeli delegation led by the head of the Mossad is flying to the French capital in the hope of "breaking the deadlock" in talks for a new truce with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media quoted by AFP.
The head of Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, David Barnea and Shin Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence service, Ronen Bar will fly to the French capital on Friday, according to the same sources.
US news website Axios reported that the Biden administration had urged Israeli officials to attend the talks in Paris, citing progress in negotiations facilitated by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. White House Coordinator for the MENA region, Brett McGurk, conveyed the administration's desire for a deal before Ramadan and indicated Hamas's willingness to compromise.
CIA Director William Burns is also scheduled to meet with Qatari, Egyptian, and Israeli officials during the Paris meeting to discuss the exchange deal.
Israel is pushing for a phased deal, including a temporary pause in fighting in exchange for the release of some of the roughly 100 hostages held by militants since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, according to Haaretz. Israel's commitment to continuing the offensive until Hamas is defeated contrasts with Hamas's initial demand to end the war before releasing hostages.