2024-09-10 10:29:29
London: There is a conflict going on between Israel and Hamas. Several rounds of talks have been held to stop the war. Meanwhile, the heads of US and British foreign intelligence agencies said on Saturday that they are ‘working continuously’ for a ceasefire in Gaza and are using a joint public statement to press for peace. CIA Director William Burns and MI6 chief Richard Moore said that their agencies have ‘used our intelligence to exercise restraint and reduce tensions.’ In an article written for the Financial Times, both intelligence chiefs said that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war could ‘end the suffering of Palestinian civilians and the terrible loss of life and bring hostages back home after 11 months of hellish captivity.’ Burns has been actively involved in efforts to end the fighting, and in August he traveled to Egypt for high-level talks aimed at reaching a hostage agreement and stopping the conflict at least temporarily.
Talks close to ceasefire
No agreement has been reached yet, although US officials say a deal is near. US President Joe Biden recently said that ‘just a few more issues’ remain unresolved. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that reports of a breakthrough are ‘absolutely false’. Both the US and Britain are staunch allies of Israel, although London on Monday took a different stance from Washington and suspended the export of some weapons to Israel because of the risk that they could be used to break international law. The war between Israel and Hamas began after the October 7, 2023 attack.