
US and Israeli officials say finalizing any ceasefire deal could take days
CNN
As negotiators meet in Cairo on Saturday, US and Israeli officials say any potential agreement on a framework that would pair a temporary ceasefire with a release of hostages in Gaza would likely be followed by continued negotiations over the finer details of the deal.
As negotiators meet in Cairo on Saturday, US and Israeli officials say any potential agreement on a framework that would pair a temporary ceasefire with a release of hostages in Gaza would likely be followed by continued negotiations over the finer details of the deal. A final deal between the two parties is expected to take several more days to negotiate. Negotiators have made progress on the technical aspects of a potential deal, but two Israeli sources say it could take a week to finalize the deal itself. A US official echoed this point Saturday, saying even if Hamas accepts the deal as proposed, it would take several more days to hammer out some of the details that would eventually result in a truce. Those discussions could also be difficult and stretched out. American officials continue to view the talks with cautious optimism, describing progress but still mindful that previous efforts have fallen apart at the last minute. As Hamas met with mediators in Cairo on Saturday, Mossad Director David Barnea remained in Israel. But Israeli sources said he could quickly head to Egypt if Hamas agrees to the framework. CIA Director Bill Burns, who has acted as a key interlocutor for the United States in the multiparty talks, is in Cairo, a person familiar with the matter says. CNN has reached out to other mediators in the negotiations.

The retired Air Force general announced as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President Donald Trump after the abrupt Friday night firing of his predecessor is a respected career F-16 pilot who is described by current and former officials who served with him as a professional with a “strong moral center.”

Over the past 10 days, Vice President JD Vance put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on notice, rattled the confidence of century-old allies in Western Europe during his first foreign trip, decamped to Capitol Hill to help in delicate budget talks and delivered a spirited defense of the Trump administration’s first month to a gathering of conservatives outside the nation’s capital.