Egypt’s state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel quoted an unnamed high-profile source, stating that “the meeting is part of the mediators’ efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.”
CIA Director William Burns is set to meet senior officials from Israel, Qatar, and Egypt in Rome on Sunday, according to a report from Axios on Friday.
The meeting aims to advance negotiations, resolve outstanding differences, and work towards a final cease-fire agreement in Gaza. This information was sourced from anonymous US and Israeli officials.
During the meeting, Burns will confer with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, Mossad Director David Barnea, and Egyptian spy chief Abbas Kamel.
As of Friday afternoon, no official sources had confirmed or denied the report.
‘Highest Level of Killing’ – UN Chief Slams Israel’s Military Campaign in Gaza
Egypt’s state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel quoted an unnamed high-profile source, stating that “the meeting is part of the mediators’ efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.”
The source added that Mossad chief David Barnea would be present at the meeting but did not provide further details.
According to Axios, Israeli negotiators are not optimistic about achieving a breakthrough in Rome, citing US President Joe Biden’s pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as ineffective in softening Netanyahu’s new tough demands. An Israeli official remarked, “Netanyahu wants a deal that is impossible to get.”
Netanyahu, currently on a trip to the US, reportedly discussed his new demands with Biden on Thursday.
On the same day, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome.
Egypt and Qatar have been leading mediation efforts, aiming to broker a phased ceasefire proposal where Hamas would release hostages in exchange for an Israeli troop withdrawal.
Genocide Joe – Biden is Out, but This is the Legacy He Leaves Behind
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 39,175 Palestinians have been , and 90,403 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, Anadolu)
