CIA director in Egypt for new talks on captive-prisoner exchange

CIA director William Burns is in Cairo for the latest round of discussions on a truce that would temporarily halt fighting in exchange for the release of captives and Palestinian prisoners.

His visit comes after Washington and the United Nations warned Israel against carrying out a ground offensive into Rafah without a plan to protect about 1.4 million civilians sheltering from the war there, according to Al Jazeera.

Qatar and Egypt have engaged in intense negotiations to establish a prolonged truce in Gaza. In recent weeks Burns has also met David Barnea, head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence service, to discuss a deal.

The discussions will be held a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas proposal for a temporary truce, calling the terms "delusional". The upcoming discussions may mean that the Israeli prime minister is again open to negotiations.