The head of Israeli intelligence is expected to lead ceasefire talks with mediators, which resume in Qatar on Sunday in direct response to a new proposal from Hamas, a source close to the talks told Reuters on Saturday.
The talks between Mossad head David Barnea, Qatar’s prime minister, and Egyptian officials will focus on remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas, including over prisoner releases and humanitarian aid, the source said.
Israel said on Friday it would send a delegation to Doha but did not spell out when or who would take part. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene the security cabinet before the talks.
Israeli officials were not immediately available to comment on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
Barnea was involved in previous significant pushes for a deal. A short-lived truce in November was agreed and came into effect after his participation in talks in Doha. His last meeting with Qatar’s prime minister in January led to a proposal for a temporary ceasefire that Hamas ultimately rejected.
Hamas’s ceasefire proposal
Hamas this week presented a new ceasefire proposal to mediators and Israel’s ally, the United States, that includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners.
Repeated efforts to agree to a ceasefire and exchange hostages for prisoners have fallen apart this year despite mounting international pressure over the human cost of Israel’s ground and air assault in Gaza.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted on X (formerly Twitter) expressing his opposition to sending a delegation to Qatar.
התנגדתי ליציאת המשלחת לפריז ולקטאר בפעם הקודמת ומוכח שצדקתי. עמדת חמאס ההזויה מלמדת שחסידי העסקה בקבינט המלחמה ובמערכת הביטחון איבדו את הדרך והתנהלותם רק מעלה את סינואר עוד יותר על העץ ומרחיקה את החזרת החטופים. הגיע הזמן להתפכח מהקונספציות וללמוד מטעויות.
— בצלאל סמוטריץ’ (@bezalelsm) March 16, 2024
“I opposed the departure of the delegation to Paris and Qatar last time, and I was proven. The delusional demands from Hamas show that those in favor of a deal in the war cabinet and the security establishment have lost their way, and their behavior only puts Sinwar even higher on the tree and makes the return of the hostages further away,” he said
“The time has come to sober up from the “conceptzia” and learn from our mistakes. Netanyahu must order the delegation to stay in Israel and the IDF to enter Rafah immediately and deepen the military pressure until Hamas is destroyed. Only then will it be possible, with God’s help, to win and return the hostages,” said Smotrich in the end of his post.
