\n<\/p>\n
An Israeli delegation arrived in Paris on Friday for talks with senior officials from Egypt, Qatar and the United States, the latest attempt to advance a deal for a cease-fire with Hamas and the release of hostages held in Gaza, an Israeli official said on Friday.<\/p>\n
The Mossad chief, David Barnea; the C.I.A. director, William Burns; the Qatari prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani; and Abbas Kamel, the head of Egyptian intelligence, are expected to attend the talks, according to a second Israeli official and a person briefed on the talks. All the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the diplomatic developments. <\/p>\n
Qatar and Egypt have been acting as intermediaries between Israel and Hamas, which do not negotiate directly. <\/p>\n
The talks come a day after President Biden\u2019s Mideast envoy met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials in Israel, part of a flurry of efforts to negotiate the release of hostages and a pause in the fighting. According to Israeli officials, about 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza. At least 30 others there are dead, officials believe. <\/span><\/p>\n On Tuesday, Hamas said that a delegation led by Ismail Haniyeh was in Cairo to meet with Egyptian officials to discuss efforts to end the war. On Thursday, Hamas issued a statement saying that Mr. Haniyeh had met with the Egyptian intelligence chief and aides, and had concluded his visit. The statement said that among the topics those talks addressed were ending the war, the return of displaced people to their homes, humanitarian aid, swapping hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and \u201cwhat the occupation is planning at al-Aqsa Mosque\u201d during Ramadan.<\/p>\n Efforts to secure a cease-fire deal have taken on greater urgency as the death toll from four months of war in the Gaza Strip nears 30,000 Palestinians, according to health officials there, and as Israel\u2019s stated plan to invade Gaza\u2019s southernmost city, Rafah, raises international alarm<\/a>.<\/p>\n The talks had appeared to stall last week, after discussions held in Cairo failed to reach a breakthrough. Mr. Netanyahu withdrew his negotiators, accusing Hamas of refusing to budge on what he called \u201cludicrous\u201d demands<\/a> and pledged to press on with Israel\u2019s offensive.<\/p>\n But on Wednesday night, Benny Gantz, a member of Israel\u2019s war cabinet, said that there had been momentum on a new draft<\/a> of a deal that indicated a \u201cpossibility to advance.\u201d<\/p>\n And on Thursday, a White House official said that President Biden\u2019s Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, had held \u201cconstructive\u201d meetings in Israel with Mr. Netanyahu; Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister; and other members of Israel\u2019s war cabinet.<\/p>\n \u201cThe initial indications we\u2019re getting from Brett is these discussions are going well,\u201d said the official, John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council. He also said that Mr. McGurk had spent a \u201cgood couple of hours\u201d with Mr. Netanyahu.<\/p>\n Mr. McGurk was focused on whether negotiators could \u201ccement a hostage deal for an extended pause to get all of those hostages home where they belong and get a reduction in the violence so that we can get more humanitarian assistance,\u201d Mr. Kirby said.<\/p>\n Mr. Gallant, after meeting with Mr. McGurk on Thursday in Tel Aviv, said that Israel\u2019s government would \u201cexpand the authority given to our hostage negotiators.\u201d<\/p>\n One person briefed on the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were indications that both Hamas and Israel were willing to negotiate over an interim deal that could exchange 35 Israeli hostages who are either medically frail or older for an undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners.<\/p>\n Mr. Kirby said Mr. McGurk intended to press the Israeli war cabinet for its plans for its military operation in Rafah. <\/p>\n \u201cNothing has changed about our view that any operation in Rafah without due consideration and a credible executive plan for the safety and security of the more than a million Palestinians seeking refuge in Rafah would be a disaster,\u201d Mr. Kirby said. \u201cWe would not support that.\u201d<\/p>\n