CBS News
CIA Director William Burns to travel to Europe for fourth round of Gaza hostage talks
CIA Director William Burns will soon travel to Europe for a fourth round of multiparty talks aimed at brokering a broadened deal to release the more than 100 hostages still being held in Gaza, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News on Thursday.
Burns is expected to meet in France with David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the source said. Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel is also involved. All four have engaged in previous rounds of negotiations aimed at freeing hostages in exchange for a cessation of hostilities, a principal demand by Hamas.
Six male U.S. citizens are believed to be among those still being held hostage in Gaza. Hamas took hundreds of people hostage during its attacks across Israel on Oct. 7.
The CIA declined to comment on Burns’ travel schedule, which is classified. The director traveled to Doha twice in November and to Warsaw in December as part of an effort to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
The latest talks follow meetings this month between the National Security Council’s Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk and senior Egyptian and Qatari officials, part of a diplomatic push by Washington and Doha to get Israel and Hamas to negotiate a deal. The effort coincides with a Biden administration push for Israel to wind down its intense military operations in Gaza.
The family members of the six remaining Israeli-American hostages also met with several Biden advisers on Jan. 18 in Washington. In a statement marking 100 days of the Israel-Hamas war, President Biden said the U.S. “will never stop working to bring Americans home.”
On Sunday, as news broke of McGurk’s latest diplomatic push, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a scathing statement saying that Israel rejected Hamas’ terms for a release because they included an end to the war.
“Hamas is demanding, in exchange for the release of our hostages, the end of the war, the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza, the release of the murderers and rapists of the Nukhba and leaving Hamas in place,” he said. “I am not prepared to accept such a mortal blow to the security of Israel; therefore, we will not agree to this.”
Netanyahu’s government has faced domestic political pressure from the hostages’ families, who continue to campaign for the release of their loved ones as Israel’s military campaign continues in the 25-mile-long Palestinian enclave.
Netanyahu’s public position has been that military force will ultimately get Hamas to capitulate and agree to release the hostages. However, a divide within the war cabinet recently spilled out into public when Gadi Eisenkot, a former general, told an Israeli TV outlet that it would be impossible to secure the safe return of the hostages without a diplomatic agreement.
A source familiar with the negotiations over the hostages said Netanyahu’s opposition was an impediment to reaching an agreement. The Israeli embassy did not have immediate comment.
The attempts to broker a diplomatic deal have been at an impasse since an initial breakthrough in November led by the U.S. and Qatar that resulted in the release of more than 100 hostages and more than 200 Palestinian prisoners.
Tensions between Israel and Qatar were recently heightened after leaked audio surfaced of Netanyahu talking down Doha’s efforts while in conversation with Israeli hostage families.
CBS News
Tropical Storm Milton forms in Gulf; forecast to strengthen into hurricane headed toward Florida
Tropical Storm Milton has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane headed toward Florida with possible impacts to its western coast, the National Hurricane Center said on Saturday. Maximum sustained winds are expected to be at 40 mph with higher gusts and Milton is currently moving north-northeast, NHC said in an advisory.
Milton is forecast to undergo a period of rapid intensification before it makes landfall as a Category 2 hurricane across Florida’s west coast, CBS News Miami reported.
The forecast comes a little more than a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida and across the Southeast, killing more than 200 people and causing immense destruction. President Biden on Thursday took an aerial tour of Florida’s Big Bend where Helene struck as a Category 4 storm. Hundreds of people are still missing and Mr. Biden said the work to rebuild will cost “billions of dollars” as communities suffer still without power, running water and passable roads.
NOAA
Milton is forecast to move across the southwestern Gulf of Mexico through Sunday night then across the south-central Gulf on Monday and Tuesday before reaching Florida’s west coast by the middle of the week, NHC said. Heavy rain is possible in the region starting Sunday into Monday, CBS Miami reported, and more rain and heavy winds will most likely arrive on Wednesday. Hurricane and storm surge watches will most likely be required for portions of Florida starting Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.
Along with the heavy rainfall, the hurricane center said to expect risks of flooding.
Residents in the area should ensure they have a hurricane plan in place, the National Hurricane Center said, follow the advice of local officials and check back for forecast updates.
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A new Barbie has joined Mattel’s lineup of inclusive dolls. The first “Diwali doll” was announced by the toymaker on Friday, a few weeks shy of the Hindu holiday of Diwali, also known as the festival of lights.
The festival, which lasts for five days, is marked on Western calendars to begin on Nov. 1, but some celebrations start on Oct. 31.
The doll, created in collaboration with fashion designer Anita Dongre, features traditional elements including the lehenga skirt, floral print and golden shoes, according to Mattel’s website. The doll is available at major retailers for $40.
“The look is infused with beauty and symbolism to rejoice in victory of light over darkness with contemporary silhouettes,” the description reads for the Diwali doll.
Lalit Agarwal, country manager for Mattel India, said in a news release that through the Diwali doll, the brand is hoping to showcase “India’s vibrant cultural heritage on a global stage while continuing to celebrate the power and beauty of diversity.”
Earlier this year, Mattel announced the first-ever blind Barbie doll and a Black Barbie with Down syndrome.
In addition, to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 and Barbie’s 65th birthday on March 9, the doll brand announced it was adding new dolls to its Role Models collection, based on real-life singers and actresses from around the world. They’re not for sale – a one-of-a-kind doll was made for each of the honored women.
The dolls are meant to introduce “girls to remarkable women’s stories to show them you can be anything,” according to Mattel.
