Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel met with members of the Hamas movement in Doha today (Wednesday) to discuss the truce in Gaza, according to an Agence France-Presse source familiar with the negotiations.< /p>

The source told Agence France-Presse, on condition of anonymity: Given the sensitivity of the talks, the meeting aimed to “discuss a truce agreement in Gaza and the exchange of hostages and prisoners.”

CIA Director William Burns is also expected to visit Qatar to continue working with mediators to reach a ceasefire agreement, according to what the same source told the French Agency on Tuesday.

The Axios news website reported that the White House Special Advisor for the Middle East, Brett McGurk, will head to Cairo. The website stated, quoting a source in the US administration, that the current talk is about intensifying pressure “to achieve a breakthrough.”

Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been mediating for months to reach the details of a ceasefire in Gaza.

But except for a seven-day cessation of hostilities in November that led to the release of more than 100 hostages, mediation efforts have not succeeded in bringing an end to the fighting.

In an effort to relaunch the talks, US President Joe Biden said last week that Israel is offering a new three-stage road map.

Earlier today, the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said that the movement “will deal seriously and positively with any agreement on the basis of a comprehensive cessation of aggression, complete withdrawal, and exchange of prisoners.”

He added that the Hamas movement is conducting the negotiations armed with this position.