CIA director to discuss hostage release in Paris with Middle East officials, report says

Bill Burns, the CIA director, is set to visit Paris this Friday for discussions with officials from Qatar, Egypt and Israel, regarding the efforts to negotiate the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, according to an Axios report.

The Israeli official told Axios that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to approve sending off an Israeli delegation to Paris for the meeting.

The official told Axios that certain members of the negotiation team would abstain from attending the meeting if Netanyahu instructs them to observe without engaging in negotiations, as was the case with the previous meeting attended by an Israeli delegation earlier this month.