CIA Director William Burns departed Doha after negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas failed to make progress, The Washington Post reported Friday.
A source told the newspaper that key disagreements remain unresolved, including which hostages and Palestinian prisoners would be released, the number of Israeli troops allowed to remain in Gaza, the rights of displaced Gazans to return to northern areas, control of border crossings and the broader terms for ending the war.
IDF operational activity in the Gaza Strip
(Video: IDF)
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A member of a diplomatic mission in the region, speaking to the Post, suggested that both Israel and Hamas, along with Qatari and Egyptian mediators, are working to "prepare the ground" ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next month.
“They know that if they don’t reach such an agreement it will not be a good thing for any of them, including the Israelis,” the diplomat said. “I think this has resulted in a lot of developments... The question is whether they wait for Trump.”