“A long-term ceasefire in Gaza requires concessions that are difficult to accept,” the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Egyptian and Qatari officials.

The Wall Street Journal quoted Egyptian and Qatari officials as saying: “The main mediators in the prisoner and hostage exchange process between Israel and Hamas are pushing both sides to prolong the ceasefire in Gaza beyond the current two-day extension, and to begin talks on a permanent truce that would end the war.” entirely".

The officials told the newspaper, "A long-term ceasefire will likely require Israel and Hamas to make concessions that are difficult to accept, such as exchanging Israeli soldiers for thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons."

The officials told the Wall Street Journal that “this will require Israel to curb its attack on southern Gaza with the aim of seizing the Strip and killing Hamas’ senior leadership,” but the officials explained that “the current temporary truce is working to build the kind of confidence necessary to move forward.”

Today, Tuesday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said: “We are working to strengthen the Qatari mediation role to reach a truce and then a permanent ceasefire.”

In a sign of the seriousness of the talks, CIA Director William Burns arrived in Qatar on Tuesday, a US official and a person familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.

He is scheduled to attend the talks, in which David Barnea, head of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, and senior officials from Qatar, which has close ties to the political leadership of Hamas, are also expected to participate, according to the newspaper.

Discussions are initially focused on extending the ceasefire for another three days in exchange for 10 hostages each day.

The truce between Hamas and the Israeli government continues for the fifth day in a row after extending it for two days under the same conditions, while awaiting the release of a new batch of hostages and prisoners.

Earlier, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Hamas movement released 69 Israeli prisoners, while Israel released 150 Palestinian women and children, during the first four days of the truce agreement that the two parties reached with Qatari-Egyptian-American mediation, and which entered into force on Friday morning. past.

Source: Sama News