As Biden presses on hostage deal, Israel may skip latest talks: US officials

As the U.S. attempts to push Israel and Hamas closer to an agreement that would see all remaining hostages in Gaza freed in exchange for an extended truce, U.S. officials say CIA Director William Burns will travel to Egypt for negotiations — but that his Israeli counterparts had not yet committed to participating in the talks.

The trip will be Burns' fourth known trip abroad for face-to-face negotiations on the matter, but it would be his first where neither of the main players is directly represented.

A U.S. official familiar with the matter said Burns would press on with the agenda regardless of Israel's participation in the talks and meet with intelligence officials from Qatar and Egypt, two countries that have served as effective intermediaries with Hamas through the conflict.

At a White House press availability with the King of Jordan on Monday, President Joe Biden said he was continuing to push for an agreement.

«There are gaps that remain, but I've encouraged Israeli leaders to keep working to achieve the deal. The United States will do everything possible to make it happen,» he said.

Even if Israel ultimately participates in this latest round of negotiations, its apparent reluctance to participate in the discussions could be a bad omen overall for the prospects of reaching an agreement.

Roughly 100 hostages may still be alive inside Gaza, according to Israeli authorities. U.S. officials say that figure many include as many as six Americans.

Israeli forces conducted a successful rescue operation in Rafah early Monday, recovering two Israeli men, Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Luis Har, 70, who were abducted by Hamas during its Oct/ 7 attack on Israel.

But while Israel might conduct similar missions in the coming days