CNN –
Efforts to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza and bring about a prolonged pause in fighting are at a crucial juncture as President Joe Biden sends his hostage negotiations leader to Europe for bipartisan talks on the contours of a possible deal.
CIA Director Bill Burns' meetings in the coming days with the Israeli and Egyptian intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister are a sign of continued progress as the White House pushes for an agreement.
It remains to be seen whether they will prove crucial to a deal, and officials expressed caution that discussions so far have been volatile and that hurdles remain to reaching a deal that all sides can agree on.
One of the central points of contention: Israel insists that it cannot agree to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which was a key demand of Hamas. It is unclear how this major difference could be resolved.
Nevertheless, progress was made on the parameters of a hostage deal that would occur in three phases and include the release of civilians, soldiers and the bodies of hostages who had died during their captivity.
Burns' meetings with Mossad Director David Barnea, Egyptian intelligence director Abbas Kamel and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani are scheduled to take place in France over the weekend, according to two familiar sources. The CIA declined to comment on his trip.
Burns and Barnea played a central role in an agreement in November that led to a week-long pause in fighting in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages.
The talks are the latest in a series of recent diplomatic efforts to free the more than 100 remaining hostages while working toward a longer cessation of hostilities. The frantic activity represents the most intense effort in months to reach a deal that could significantly alter the course of the war in Gaza.
John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, described on Friday afternoon at the White House that the ongoing talks were productive but not yet successful.
“We're confident about the progress, but I don't expect any imminent developments – nor should we expect them to,” Kirby said.
He said Friday that Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi as well as Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar to discuss the ongoing hostage talks.
“We continue to do everything we can to facilitate another hostage deal, just as we did in November,” Kirby said.
A White House statement Friday said Biden and Al Thani “confirmed that a hostage agreement is central to bringing about a prolonged humanitarian pause in the fighting and ensuring that additional life-saving humanitarian assistance reaches civilians in need across the Gaza Strip.” reached.”
Both heads of state and government “underlined the urgency of the situation” in their conversation, it says.
Kirby also said Brett McGurk, the White House Middle East coordinator, returned to Washington on Friday from meetings in the region.
He described these conversations as “a good series of discussions.”
“At every level, from the president down, we are doing everything we can to bring these mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters home to their families,” Kirby said. “Our thoughts remain with them, of course with their loved ones, but also with all the innocent Palestinians who continue to be caught up in this war.”
Qatar's prime minister is expected to travel to Washington next week, a diplomatic source told CNN. Qatar acted as an important mediator in the talks with Hamas.
U.S. officials are now hoping for a much longer cessation of fighting, believing it could allow more humanitarian aid to flow to Gaza and continue discussions about the future of Israel's campaign against Hamas and the future of the Gaza Strip.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been working to find common ground in proposals put forward by both Hamas and Israel several weeks ago, according to an official familiar with the ongoing discussions. Last week, Qatar sent ideas back to each of them, including a time frame for a two-month ceasefire that would include the gradual release of hostages.
First, the remaining women, children and elderly would be released, followed by another phase in which Israeli soldiers and the bodies of dead hostages would also be included.
In return, Palestinians held in Israeli prisons would be released at a ratio of three to one, similar to the agreement reached last year, said a second source familiar with the matter, who said the process would take about a month.
Each phase would be accompanied by a pause in fighting and aid deliveries to the north and south of Gaza.
Obstacles remain
The biggest sticking point for Hamas has been Israel's refusal to discuss an end to the war beyond a temporary ceasefire. Israel's focus, the official said, has been on trying to discuss one phase at a time – with accompanying breaks and prisoner releases – while Hamas has pushed for a comprehensive plan that includes Israel agreeing to end the war against Hamas is planning.
As part of the proposals currently being discussed, the end of the hostage release process would be accompanied by a permanent ceasefire, a move that Israel was unwilling to agree to.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have said the war could last for the rest of the year, if not until 2025. And Netanyahu is increasingly publicly opposed to a Palestinian state, a priority issue for Biden, and the US.
The Biden administration has openly urged Israel to move to a lower-intensity phase of operations, including in phone calls between Biden and Netanyahu.
Aside from the Biden administration's own interest in releasing a half-dozen Israeli-American hostages, U.S. officials see a ceasefire agreement and the release of the hostages as the key to a significant pause in fighting that will encourage the flow of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians return to their homes, many of which were destroyed.
But with two key parties having their own priorities and at least three key facilitators, a complex range of ideas, proposals and initiatives are being put forward.
“These things are very fluid, they change every minute,” the official said.
It remains to be seen whether all parties can reach an agreement, and the talks will come amid renewed tensions between Israel and Qatar sparked by leaked recordings in which Netanyahu is said to criticize the Gulf state.
Burns and McGurk's talks with regional players come amid tensions between Israel and Qatar over a leaked recording in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly criticizes Qatar.
In the recording, which was broadcast on Israeli television, a purported voice from Netanyahu describes Qatar as “problematic.” The speaker also said he was “very angry with the Americans” for extending the lease on their military base in Qatar without giving the country a concession for hostages. CNN cannot confirm that the voice in the leaked recording belongs to Benjamin Netanyahu.
Reacting to the tape, Qatar said Netanyahu was undermining mediation efforts in the Israel-Hamas war.
The White House on Thursday reiterated its gratitude to Qatar, which served as a key mediator in the hostage negotiations, in response to the leaked recording.
“Qatar is an important partner in the region. We are grateful for their support in our ongoing efforts to get hostages out of Gaza and reunited with their families,” Kirby said in a statement Thursday evening.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN's Betsy Klein and Katie Bo Lillis contributed reporting.