Fate of Gaza ceasefire deal in Hamas leader’s hands, CIA deputy chief says

The fate of a potential ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is “largely a question that is going to be answered” by the leader of the Palestinian terror group, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen says.

The US official does not refer to Hamas’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, by name. The Israelis are showing seriousness in the negotiations, Cohen tells an intelligence and national security summit in Washington.

Mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar have been working to strike a deal between the sides and prevent a broader regional war.

On those efforts, Cohen says: “There may be episodes where people would step back from the brink, but I don’t think anybody can be confident that that effort to control escalation is something that… any party in that region” can control.