CIA Director Values Hamas-Israeli Ceasefire May Still Happen Even Though The Process Is Very Difficult

CIA Director William Burns. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State)

JAKARTA - The United States intelligence chief said the possibility of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel remained possible, amid no agreement yet reached from current negotiations.

CIA Director Bill Burns said on Tuesday there was little hope for progress in indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel over a potential ceasefire agreement.

"There is still a possibility" to reach an agreement like that, Burns said, adding, but it was a "very difficult process," as quoted by CNN March 13.

"I don't think anyone can guarantee success. The only thing I think you can guarantee is, the alternative is worse," Burns said in a statement at the US Congress.

"This is even worse for innocent civilians who suffer in Gaza. This has a bad impact on the hostages and their families. And in my opinion, this is worse for all of us," he said.

Burns himself became the main negotiator for Washington, as the United States, Qatar and Egypt sought to broker a deal that would replace the release of hostages detained by Hamas by stopping fighting.

However, hopes of reaching an agreement have faded, which if implemented, will cause a hiatus of at least six weeks in the dispute, as both sides have yet to agree on key terms.

"The United States remains committed to the process," Burns told members of the DPR Intelligence Committee.

Earlier, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday hope remained although a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Gaza had not yet been reached.

Despite weeks of talks involving US, Qatar, and Egyptian mediators, the Holy Month of Ramadan began on Monday without the start of the ceasefire and the widely sought exchange of hostages.

"We haven't reached a ceasefire agreement in Gaza but there's still hope," Ansari told a news conference in Doha, adding negotiations were underway, quoted by The Times of Israel.

"We do not see that both parties agree in discussing the language that can resolve the current dispute regarding the implementation of the agreement," he continued.

He further said, all parties "continue to strive in negotiations to reach an agreement that is expected to be reached in the month of Ramadan."

But he added that he could not "bid any deadlines" regarding the deal, explaining the situation is still "very complicated on the pitch."

Ansari also said Qatar was trying to realize a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, not a short-term ceasefire that lasted only a few days.