U.S. aims to use Israel-Hamas deal to open wider peace talks

The U.S. hopes a fresh hostage deal between Israel and Hamas will create the space for talks to achieve a more lasting regional peace agreement, a State Department official said Friday, offering a longer-term vision for the Biden administration as its negotiators crisscross the region in search of a breakthrough.

CIA Director William Burns, who helped hammer out a previous deal to release Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, is set to join fresh talks on the hostage deal in the coming days. That would follow work by White House Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, to win the release of almost all the remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a ceasefire that could last at least two months.

The senior State Department official, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken recently to McGurk and Burns about the talks.