The heads of the CIA and MI6 appealed for peace in Gaza in a rare joint statement

AUTHOR: M.J.
The heads of the American and British intelligence agencies said today in a rare statement of this kind, as well as a joint one, that they are "working continuously" on a cease-fire in Gaza and that they are seeking peace.
CIA director William Burns and the head of Britain's MI6 foreign service, Richard Moore, said their agencies were "using our intelligence channels to strongly encourage containment (of war) and de-escalation."
In an article for the Financial Times, the two executives said a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas "could end the suffering and terrible loss of life of Palestinian civilians and bring home the (Hamas) hostages after 11 months of hellish captivity".
Burns has been heavily involved in efforts to end the fighting, traveling to Egypt in August for high-level talks aimed at reaching a hostage deal and at least temporarily halting the conflict.
So far, there is no agreement, although United States officials insist a deal is close.
American President Joseph Biden recently said that "a few more issues" remain unresolved.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said reports of a breakthrough in the talks were "completely false".
Both the US and the UK are staunch allies of Israel, although London broke away from Washington on Monday by suspending some arms exports to Israel over the risk they could be used to violate international law.
Burns and Moore also emphasized the strength of the transatlantic relationship at a time of an "unprecedented array of threats," including Russia, China and the ongoing threat of international terrorism.
They pointed to Russia's "reckless campaign of sabotage" across Europe and "the cynical use of technology to spread lies and disinformation designed to drive wedges between them."
US officials have long accused Moscow of meddling in US elections, and this Sunday the Biden administration blocked Kremlin-run websites and accused employees of Russian broadcaster RT of covertly funding social media campaigns to promote Kremlin propaganda and influence the US presidential election in November.
The two directors highlighted a "new era of openness" in their field, noting that both the CIA and MI6 had declassified intelligence about Russia's plan to invade Ukraine before Moscow did so in February 2022.