The negotiations involving Israel, Hamas, Qatar, the US, and Egypt began with Qatar contacting the White House after Hamas took captives during an October 7 assault. Qatar requested a small team be formed to work on freeing the captives, with the effort eventually leading to a truce mediated by Qatar and Egypt and agreed upon by Israel, Hamas, and the United States. The process involved personal diplomatic engagement by US President Joe Biden and was done with extreme secrecy. Over the following weeks, the negotiations resulted in the release of several captives, with CIA Director Bill Burns and Mossad Director David Barnea playing important roles. The negotiation process was described as difficult and slow-moving, but ultimately was successful in securing the release of captives.