CIA Director Bill Burns will travel to the Egyptian capital Cairo this weekend for talks on freeing hostages held in Gaza, US media said on Friday.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to say if Burns would be involved but told journalists that “the United States will be present for those talks.”
Burns will meet Mossad chief David Barnea as well as officials from Egypt and Qatar, the New York Times reported. Axios identified those officials as Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks in a bid to secure a truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails.
With AFP
