Author: Maayan Lubell
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A high-ranking Israeli security delegation arrived in Qatar on Sunday for talks on the Gaza hostages and a ceasefire deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman said, in a possible sign of a so-far elusive deal approaching.
Qatar and fellow mediators Egypt and the United States are renewing efforts to reach an agreement to end fighting in the enclave and free the remaining 98 hostages held there before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
Netanyahu’s office said Saturday that the delegation included Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet domestic security chief Ronen Bar and the military’s hostage division chief Nitzan Alon.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met with Netanyahu on Saturday, after meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Friday.
Israeli and Palestinian officials said as of Thursday that some progress had been made in indirect talks between Israel and the militant group Hamas, but gave no details. The parties have strictly concealed the details that are being worked out.
It is unclear how they will bridge one of the biggest gaps that existed during previous rounds of talks: Hamas demands an end to the war while Israel says it will not end the war as long as Hamas rules Gaza and poses a threat to Israelis.
Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave devastated and engulfed in a humanitarian crisis and most of the population displaced.
