CIA director Bill Burns recently traveled to the Middle East to present a new proposal for a six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Monday. That Burns traveled to Cairo, Egypt over the weekend for a fresh round of talks was first reported late last week. His outline for a deal includes the release of 40 hostages still held in Gaza, who would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel, CNN reported. A second source said that the U.S. is pushing Israel to free 900 Palestinian prisoners, a number first reported earlier on Monday by Al Jazeera. One of the sources also said that the U.S. wants Palestinian refugees who have fled conflict in the north of the Gaza Strip to be allowed to return home without restrictions. Israel and Hamas remain far apart on the refugees’ return, as well as issues like the redeployment of Israel Defense Forces away from central Gaza, a diplomat close to the talks said.
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