Mossad chief Barnea expected to meet with Qatari PM in Europe this weekend

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.

JOANIE MARGULIES DECEMBER 16, 2023 05:39

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, is expected to meet 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 abductees in Gaza, Israeli media reported.

This will be the first time that a meeting will take place between an Israeli senior official and a Qatari official since the collapse of the week-long ceasefire.

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)
Re-opening 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.

Hamas is still holding more than 130 hostages after many were released as part of a deal that paused the fighting in Gaza for multiple days. Several hostages have been killed in captivity in the last week.

Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-778241.