MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
Qatar in talks with CIA and Mossad over Hamas hostages deal
UN human rights chief accuses Israel and Hamas of war crimes
The heads of the CIA and Mossad are believed to have met the Qatari prime minister in Doha as pressure grows to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
William Burns and David Barnea had talks with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani after Qatari mediators met officials from the Hamas political office, based in Doha, on Wednesday night and discussed a potential deal.
The Qataris have led negotiations about the hostages, but delays in securing the release of as many as 240 of them have led to widespread criticism.
A senior Hamas official told The Times this week that the negotiations were focused only on civilian hostages and not military prisoners. A ceasefire in return for the release of hostages has been
