CIA Chief Heads to Cairo for Hostage Talks

This weekend, CIA Director Bill Burns is set to visit Cairo, Egypt, for discussions aimed at securing the release of hostages in Gaza, as reported by U.S. media on Friday.

During his visit, Burns is expected to hold meetings with David Bernea, the head of Mossad, as well as with representatives from Egypt and Qatar, including Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, according to reports from The New York Times and Axios.

The meetings are in response to a surprising assault by Hamas on October 7, which led to the death of approximately 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, the majority of whom were civilians. This figure is based on official Israeli statistics and reported by AFP.

In the aftermath of the attack, Palestinian militants captured around 250 hostages, with about 130 still believed to be in Gaza, including 34 reported as deceased by the Israeli military.

The conflict has also resulted in over 33,000 deaths, predominantly among women and children, in Gaza as per the local health ministry’s data.

The United States, alongside Qatar and Egypt, has been actively involved in confidential discussions for weeks, aiming to negotiate a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and facilitate an exchange, releasing Israeli hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.