Senior Biden administration officials returning to Middle East to push for Gaza ceasefire deal
CNN
Top Biden administration officials are traveling to the Middle East this week to engage in ongoing talks on a possible ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, as well as the dire situation in the Gazan city of Rafah, US officials told CNN.
Top Biden administration officials are traveling to the Middle East this week to engage in ongoing talks on a possible ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, as well as the dire situation in the Gazan city of Rafah, US officials told CNN. CIA Director Bill Burns, who has served as the administration’s primary interlocutor in ceasefire negotiations, is expected to travel to Doha, according to one US official. Qatar is acting as an intermediary in talks between Israel and Hamas. Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk is also headed back to the region this week, a separate official said. Although both regularly travel to the Middle East, their visits come amid a furious push by President Joe Biden to get Hamas and Israel to accept the latest ceasefire proposal. The United States on Monday circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution to support the proposal and calling for it to insist that Hamas accept the deal. Biden on Friday laid out a three-phase proposal that would pair a release of hostages with a “full and complete ceasefire,” a plan he said presented the best hope to bring peace to Gaza. The president characterized it as an Israeli proposal.
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