Mossad chief David Barnea met his counterpart in the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns in a meeting on Friday evening, a statement by the Israeli spy agency via the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed.
Burns briefed Barnea on recent developments made in Cairo negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza as part of “ongoing efforts to retrieve the hostages,” the statement read.
Hamas does not appear to be interested in reaching a ceasefire deal ahead of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the statement on behalf of the Mossad added.
Further, the statement charged that Hamas is seeking to escalate tensions across the region ahead of Ramadan at the expense of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“[Israel] is in contact and cooperating with all mediators at all time, as part of continued attempts to reduce gaps in negotiations and bring about an agreement,” the statement read.”
Hostage talks expected to resume in Cairo next week
Hostage talks are expected to resume in Cairo next week, as Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked on the terms of a deal for a six-week pause to the Gaza war in exchange for the release of some 40 captives.
Hope for an agreement by the start of Ramadan on Sunday night appeared slim as Hamas’s delegation left Cairo on Thursday morning “for consultation with the leadership of the movement, with negotiations and efforts continuing to stop the aggression, return the displaced, and bring in relief aid to our people,” a statement from Hamas read.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
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