CIA Director William Burns, Qatar's foreign minister and Egypt's intelligence chief met in Cairo on Saturday evening ahead of important ceasefire talks in the Middle East. The talks, which are scheduled to take place on Sunday, will be mediated by the three countries, Voice of America reports, UNN reports.
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A delegation of Hamas militants also arrived in Cairo to meet with Egyptian and Qatari officials. Although Hamas will not be directly involved in Sunday's talks, they will be informed by Egypt and Qatar about the progress of the discussions.
The Israeli delegation at the talks is represented by the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet foreign intelligence services, as well as Major General Eliezer Toledano. The American side is represented by CIA Director William Burns and President Joe Biden's senior Middle East adviser Brett McGurk.
The main topic of discussion will be the elimination of differences between Israel and Hamas. The stumbling block is the issue of control over the Philadelphia Corridor along Gaza's border with Egypt and the Netzarim Corridor, which runs from east to west. Hamas demands the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, while Israel insists on maintaining control over these territories.
With the recent assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, which Israel is accused of, fears are growing that the hostilities in Gaza could escalate to the level of a regional war.