Some progress was made on Thursday during the first day of the latest round of negotiations on the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, US officials told Barak Ravid of Axios . CIA director Bill Burns and US President Joe Biden's top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk met on Thursday in Doha for several hours with the Prime Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Mossad director David Barnea and the head of Egyptian intelligence Abbas Kamel for the crucial round of negotiations, the report said. Hamas representatives in Doha were briefed by Qatari and Egyptian mediators throughout the day, a source with knowledge told Axios . Hamas had announced on Sunday that it refuses to send representatives to the negotiations. White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters later on Thursday that the talks in Doha are focused on the gaps that remain between Israel and Hamas over the details of how to implement the deal. He said the US believes it is possible to close the remaining gaps. Two US officials told Axios the first day of talks was "very good" and that some progress was made. Another US official said the mediators "concluded a constructive day of discussions in Doha". Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on Thursday night that the talks will continue on Friday. The spokesperson added in a statement that the efforts of the mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States are ongoing to move forward in endeavors to reach a ceasefire that would facilitate the release of hostages and enable the entry of the largest possible amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The talks in Qatar come a week after the leaders of the US, Egypt and Qatar issued a statement calling on Israel and Hamas to hold a summit to finalize the deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday approved the departure of the Israeli delegation to the summit. Related articles: Freed hostages thank Trump, call for efforts to free others 'At threshold of the Festival of Freedom, we must not give up' Liri Albag's story of survival Captivity survivor blasted online after criticizing Netanyahu The US has been pushing a three-phase proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal which President Joe Biden outlined in late May. Biden has indicated that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to the outline and reiterated his determination to implement the proposal, even though Hamas rejected the Biden outline shortly after he presented it.
