New Momentum in Hostage Release Negotiations Following CIA Proposal

By Yoni Weiss

Recent proposals by CIA Director William Burns have revitalized hostage release negotiations, according to a report Thursday in Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar. The U.S.-crafted proposal, developed in coordination with Egyptian and Qatari mediators and potentially involving Turkey, aims to address key demands and facilitate progress.

The American proposal includes clear, unambiguous terms to ensure negotiations between phases proceed under a guaranteed ceasefire or maintain prolonged calm after phase one. This aligns with Hamas’s central demand for a complete ceasefire.

Another aspect of the American proposal involves Israel’s evacuation of the Rafah crossing as part of an agreement with Egypt, without requiring Israel’s full withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor.

Hamas has responded to the proposal, and the Mossad is currently reviewing it. Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political bureau, has engaged in discussions with mediators in Qatar and Egypt, as well as with senior Turkish officials, expressing a positive attitude toward the negotiations.

Currently, 120 Israelis remain in Gaza, taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7. Tragically, 43 of them have been declared dead, killed either during the attack or while in captivity.