CIA chief meeting directly with Hamas for ceasefire talks: Report

CIA chief Bill Burns is in direct contact with Hamas - a US designated terror organisation - as part of the US’s efforts to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Burns presented the US’s recent ceasefire proposal for Gaza to officials from Hamas, Qatar and Egypt in Cairo, according to a Wall Street Journal report. 

US officials rarely meet with members of US-designated terror organisations. For example, the US says publicly it doesn’t have direct contact with Hezbollah, another Iran-aligned group deemed a terror organisation by the US, which the US relies on mediators to communicate with. 

The US also relies on third countries like Oman and Qatar to ferry messages to Iran, which it doesn’t have diplomatic relations with.

Qatar and Egypt have been mediating months-long talks between Israel and Hamas to secure a hostage deal and pause fighting in Gaza.

The report that Burns has taken his proposal directly to Hamas underscores the urgency Washington feels to strike a deal.