Negotiations in Qatar Raise Hopes of Possible Hostage Release Deal

CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met with Mossad chief Dedi Barnea in Doha, Qatar, on Monday. The topic of discussion was a new set of proposals for a deal that would see the return of some of Israel's remaining hostages, including a 28-day ceasefire and the release of several dozen Palestinian security prisoners from Israeli prisons.

Senior Israeli and American officials hope that a partial deal may break through the impasse of the past months in negotiations on the hostage deal and the ceasefire, start negotiations on a comprehensive deal, improve the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and release some of the hostages held in the Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he would only agree to a partial deal and not to a deal that would include ending the war.

The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that the parties discussed "a new unified outline that combines previous proposals and also takes into account the main issues and recent developments in the region."

The Qatari and Egyptian mediators are expected to meet with senior Hamas officials in the coming days to discuss the new outline, while Burns is expected to travel to Cairo later this week to discuss the issue with the new Egyptian intelligence chief, Hassan Rashad.