US says progress made at Gaza truce talks in Cairo

Palestinian Territories – AFP

The United States said Friday that progress had been made at the latest round of Gaza truce talks, after the presence of Israeli troops on the Egyptian border emerged as a major sticking point.

The White House said CIA chief William Burns was among US officials taking part in the discussions in Cairo, joining the heads of Israel’s spy agency and security service.

“There has been progress made. We need now for both sides to come together and work towards implementation,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

Preliminary talks that began Thursday “were constructive in nature”, he said, adding that reports that the diplomacy was “near collapse” were inaccurate.

An Egyptian source close to the negotiations told AFP the Egyptian and Qatari intelligence chiefs were also taking part.

“The discussions are taking place in Cairo… in preparation for an enlarged round of negotiations which will begin on Sunday,” the source said.

“Washington is discussing with mediators new proposals to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas and for mechanisms to implement” the plan.

According to the White House, US President Joe Biden discussed the upcoming talks by telephone Friday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

The Egyptian source said Sunday’s negotiations would be “a pivotal step in formulating an agreement that will be announced if Washington can pressure (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu”.

A Hamas official, Hossam Badran, told AFP Friday that Netanyahu’s insistence that his troops remain on a strip along the Gaza-Egypt border called the Philadelphi Corridor reflected “his refusal to reach a final agreement”.

Egypt, Qatar and the United States have for months tried to reach a deal to end more than 10 months of attacks by Israel.