US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns said on Tuesday there was “still a possibility” of a Gaza ceasefire deal, although many complicated issues remain.
Burns told a House of Representatives hearing, “I think there’s still the possibility of such a deal. And as I said, it won’t be for lack of trying on our part, working very closely with our Israeli, Qatari, and Egyptian counterparts. This is a very tough process. I don’t think anyone can guarantee success. The only thing I think you can guarantee is that the alternatives are worse.”
Burns’ statement came hours after mediator Qatar said Israel and Hamas were not close to a deal on a cessation of hostilities in Gaza and releasing hostages. Qatar warned the situation remained “very complicated”.
Despite weeks of talks involving US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators, Ramadan began on Monday without the start of a widely expected truce and hostage exchange.
“We are not near a deal, meaning that we are not seeing both sides converging on language that can resolve the current disagreement over the implementation of a deal,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a news conference.
All parties were “continuing to work in the negotiations to reach a deal hopefully within the confines of Ramazan”, Ansari said. But he added that he could not “offer any timeline” on a deal and explained the conflict remained “very complicated on the ground”.
As Israel continues to commit genocide of Palestinians, the Gaza health ministry said that at least 31,184 people have been killed in the territory during more than five months of Israeli airstrikes and military action against the Palestinian civilians.
The latest toll includes at least 72 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 72,889 people have been wounded in Gaza since the conflict began on October 7.
