An Israeli delegation has arrived in Paris for discussions with senior officials from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States in an effort to advance a deal for a cease-fire with Hamas and the release of hostages held in Gaza. The Mossad chief, David Barnea; the C.I.A. director, William J. Burns; the Qatari prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani; and Abbas Kamel, the head of Egyptian intelligence, are expected to attend the talks. Qatar and Egypt have been acting as intermediaries between Israel and Hamas, which do not negotiate directly. Efforts to secure a cease-fire deal have taken on greater urgency as the death toll from four months of war in the Gaza Strip nears 30,000 Palestinians, according to health officials there, and as Israel’s stated plan to invade Gaza’s southernmost city, Rafah, raises international alarm. The talks had appeared to stall last week, after discussions held in Cairo failed to reach a breakthrough. But on Wednesday night, Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, said that there had been momentum on a new draft of a deal that indicated a “possibility to advance.” And on Thursday, a White House official said that President Biden’s Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, had held “constructive” meetings in Israel with Mr. Netanyahu; Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister; and other members of Israel’s war cabinet.
