CIA Director William J. Burns is meeting this weekend in Paris with the Qatari Prime Minister and negotiators from the Egyptian and Israeli intelligence agencies. The objective is to reach an agreement allowing the release of the hostages and the cessation, at least temporarily, of the fighting.

A six-week pause in the war waged by Israel in the Gaza Strip, the immediate release of children, women and elderly people still detained by Hamas, that of a significant number of Palestinians present in Israeli prisons, a increased humanitarian aid to the Gazan population: these are the terms of the agreement currently being discussed.

“The following phases would see Hamas release the Israeli soldiers, starting with the women, and finally the return of the remains of deceased hostages,” specifies The Wall Street Journal, according to information collected from American mediators. “In exchange, Hamas would obtain guarantees, notably from the United States, regarding a comprehensive agreement leading to an end to the war that has engulfed Gaza since Hamas militants attacked southern Israel. October 7.”

Friday January 26, Jo Biden spoke by telephone with the Egyptian and Qatari leaders, who act as intermediaries with Hamas, reports The New York Times. This Sunday, CIA Director William J. Burns will stop in Paris to meet with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials. “If Mr. Burns makes enough progress, Jo Biden could send his Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, to the region to finalize the deal” in the next two weeks.

Towards an extended break?

Last week, remarks by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, implicating Qatar's leaders added fuel to the fire, but the dispute “did not appear to deter American efforts to end to the war in Gaza,” notes the Wall Street Journal. The daily believes that the contribution of the CIA director should give new impetus to the negotiations and recalls that William J. Burns has already shown himself to be a key negotiator during the truce negotiated between Israel and Hamas last November.

The permanent ceasefire demanded by Hamas for the release of all the hostages is, however, not on the agenda, underlines the Israeli daily Ha'Aretz. “Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip want a complete ceasefire (which would protect it against future Israeli score-settling), while Israel wants a simple pause after which fighting could resume.”

A point on which there are nevertheless certain differences between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF General Staff, notes the newspaper. “The generals realize that there remains only a relatively narrow window of opportunity to bring most of the hostages home alive. If an agreement is reached, the army does not rule out a long pause which would allow its forces to reorganize.”

In Khan Younes, Israeli troops underground

In the meantime, on the ground, the Israeli army has increased pressure in recent days on the south of the Gaza Strip. The city of Khan Younes is now completely surrounded and while tens of thousands of residents have had to flee using passages set up by the Israeli army, the fighting has intensified in the western part of the city.

There is a clear change in the nature of the war, explains Ha'Aretz. While there was no question, until now, of sending Israeli soldiers to fight inside the tunnels set up by Hamas, special units and engineering soldiers now patrol certain tunnels.

“In Khan Yunis, not only does the IDF face the challenge of an urban war more intense than anything Western armies have faced, but it is a war that is now also taking place underground.”