Mossad chief to meet Qatari PM, CIA director in Warsaw for hostage talks — reports

Mossad chief David Barnea will meet in Warsaw with CIA director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on efforts to find a new hostage deal, Hebrew media report.

The Ynet news site quotes a source involved as saying the talks would be “long, complicated and more difficult than before.”

Qatar was a key mediator in the first hostage deal that saw 105 civilians released from Hamas captivity in Gaza: 81 Israelis, 23 Thai nationals and one Filipino. Israel released 240 Palestinian security prisoners, all women and minors.

It is believed that 129 hostages remain in Gaza — not all of them alive. Four hostages were released prior to the first truce, and one was rescued by troops. The bodies of eight hostages have also been recovered and three hostages were mistakenly killed by the military. The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed the deaths of 20 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.