Barnea is expected to fly to Europe to discuss continued negotiations for hostage release with Al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar, for the first time since the collapse of the ceasefire deal.
By JOANIE MARGULIESUpdated: DECEMBER 16, 2023 16:18 Mossad Director David Barnea speaks during a Conference of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), in Tel Aviv, on September 10, 2023.(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)
The head of the Mossad, David Barnea, met with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, in Europe this weekend, to discuss the continued negotiations for a deal to release the hostages in Gaza, Israeli media reported.Israeli media reported this was the first time that a meeting took place between an Israeli senior official and a Qatari official since the collapse of the week-long ceasefire.
Sources close to the meeting said that the Oslo-based meeting discussed the possibility of restarting hostage negotiations. US media reported that the talks were "exploratory" and that Barnea and his team were also likely to meet with Egyptian officials to progress the negotiations.
The IDF's role in coming back to the discussion table comes as families of the hostages increase pressure for their loved ones' return from Gaza. The previous deal failed two weeks ago after Hamas refused to release the rest of the kidnapped women.
Hamas also continued to launch rockets into Israeli territory, and carried out a shooting in Jerusalem, killing three people including a pregnant woman.
Hamas blamed Israel for the collapse of the deal and said that the women Israel asked to release were IDF soldiers.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant seen with Mossad director David Barnea as part of the war cabinet on November 19, 2023 (credit: PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE)Reopening the conversation
According to a report by Axios last week, Qatari mediators reached out to Israeli officials last week to see if there was any interest in re-opening indirect negotiations with the Hamas terror organization.Mediators reportedly asked Israeli players in the negotiation if they would agree to a deal allowing for the release of captive women and others falling under "humanitarian elements", like the seriously injured, those with medical problems, and elderly men.
Following Qatar's initial proposal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the War Cabinet opposed Barnea's planned trip to Qatar, Israeli media reported. However, following backlash, Netanyahu changed course and allowed the Mossad head to contact Qatari officials.
