Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal gets renewed push after two-month deadlock

CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Doha for talks with Qatari, Egyptian, and Israeli counterparts about a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal. The meeting will be the first between Israel and the deal's mediators after a two-month deadlock in negotiations. U.S. and Israeli officials believe Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's death creates an opportunity to resume negotiations for a deal to release the 101 hostages still held by Hamas and establish a ceasefire in Gaza. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha to discuss renewed efforts to secure a deal. Blinken stated that negotiators from the U.S., Qatar, Egypt, and Israel will meet in the coming days to discuss the hostage-release and ceasefire deal. The Qatari Prime Minister met with Hamas officials in Doha after Sinwar's death and discussed the possibility of resuming negotiations. The new director of the Egyptian Intelligence Service and Israel's Shin Bet chief met earlier this week and discussed an idea for a "small" hostage and ceasefire deal that could jump-start negotiations on a broader agreement. The idea includes a release of a small number of hostages held by Hamas in return for roughly two weeks of ceasefire in Gaza and increased humanitarian aid. Blinken told family members of Israeli-American hostages being held by Hamas that he thinks the "small deal" is an idea worth exploring.