From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Mossad chief met with Qatari PM in Doha to discuss hostage deal — source
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Mossad chief David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Doha on Wednesday to discuss a potential hostage release and Gaza ceasefire deal, a source familiar tells The Times of Israel, confirming an Axios report.
In late October, Qatar ousted Hamas’s leaders from Doha and later announced its decision to halt mediation efforts due to frustration with both sides’ refusal to seriously engage in talks. Last week, though, al-Thani confirmed that Doha had resumed its mediation efforts amid pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump who is seeking a deal before he returns to office on January 20.
Talks have been quietly progressing behind the scenes in recent days, the source says.
