Israel says Hamas hardening stance on hostage deal to 'inflame region' during Ramadan
Gaza talks mediators pushing to secure truce, Israel says
In continued effort to secure the release of hostages still held captive in Gaza, Israeli spy chief met with his US counterpart on Saturday (March 9) Tel Aviv said.
"The head of the Mossad, David Barnea, met yesterday (Friday) with the head of the CIA, Bill Burns, as part of the ceaseless efforts to advance another hostage release deal," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on behalf of the Mossad.
"Contacts and cooperation with the mediators continue all the time in an effort to narrow the gaps and reach agreements," said Mossad.
The statement comes amid mediators scrambling to secure a new ceasefire deal in the Gaza war before Ramadan which could begin as early as Sunday, depending on the lunar calendar.
The Israelis did not specify if the meeting took place on Friday (March 8) between Barnea and Burns.
"At this stage, Hamas is entrenching its positions like someone who is not interested in a deal and is striving to inflame the region during Ramadan at the expense of Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip," it said.
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Mossad also stated that Hamas was aiming forunrest in the area to worsen during Ramadan.
Israeli officials have stated that the conflict between the warring sides would come to an end only with the defeat of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Without truce before Ramadan, Israel and Jerusalem could be very, very dangerous, says Biden
United States President Joe Biden issued a warning this week stating that without a truce before Ramadan, "Israel and Jerusalem could be very, very dangerous" as he expressed doubt on Friday (Mar 8) about the possibility of achieving a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas before the Muslim holy month.
His remarks on the ceasefire come after he recently spoke in his State of the Union about addressing the increasing humanitarian crisis in Gaza since October 7.
(With inputs from agencies)