U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns said it was still possible to reach a cease-fire for Gaza while pointing to complicated issues.
"I think there's still the possibility of such a deal. And as I said, it won't be for lack of trying on our part, working very closely with our Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian counterparts. This is a very tough process. I don’t think anyone can guarantee success. The only thing I think you can guarantee is that the alternatives are worse," he told a House of Representatives hearing.
Meanwhile, Qatar said Tuesday that efforts were still ongoing to reach a truce deal between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.
"All of us were pushing towards a deal before the beginning of Ramadan, however, that didn't deter us from continuing the work and negotiations to reach a deal," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told a media briefing.
Recent days saw marathon talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. to reach a cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel before the fasting month of Ramadan, which started on Monday.
The talks, however, failed to make any breakthrough as Tel Aviv rejected demands by Hamas to end Israel's deadly offensive on Gaza and withdraw from the enclave in return for any agreement.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the U.N.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
