Gaza mediators, Israel spy chief to meet in Rome

Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. mediators are to meet with Israeli negotiators in the Italian capital Sunday in the latest push for a Gaza truce, Egyptian state-linked media said.

"A four-way meeting between Egyptian officials and their American and Qatari counterparts, in the presence of Israel's intelligence chief, will be held in Rome on Sunday to reach an agreement on a truce in Gaza," Al-Qahera news, which has links to Egyptian intelligence, reported, citing a "senior official" who was not identified.

Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, has been involved in months of mediation efforts aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip for more than nine months.

The proposed truce deal would be linked to the release of hostages held by Gaza militants in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

U.S. news outlet Axios separately reported that CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to hold talks on the issue in Rome on Sunday with Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials.

The official quoted by Al-Qahera News said Egypt insists on "an immediate ceasefire" as part of the agreement, which should also "ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza" and "safeguard the freedom of movement" of civilians in the Palestinian territory.

Cairo would also like to see a "complete (Israeli) withdrawal from the Rafah crossing" connecting Gaza to Egypt, the official added.

Recent mediation efforts have focused on a framework which U.S. President Joe Biden presented in late May, billing it an Israeli proposal.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress, pleading for continued U.S. support, before meeting with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee in the U.S. presidential election later this year, said after the meeting she would not be "silent" on the suffering in Gaza and that it was time to end the "devastating" conflict.

The Gaza war began after Hamas' October 7 attack on southern Israel allegedly resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Out of 251 people taken hostage that day, 111 are still held in the Gaza Strip, including 39 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel launched a retaliatory campaign against Gaza rulers Hamas, killing at least 39,175 people in the territory according to its health ministry.