From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Qatar says Mossad chief has left Doha but teams are continuing to meet
Israel’s spy chief has left Doha but talks over a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release are continuing in the Qatari capital, a senior Qatari official says.
Mossad chief David Barnea “has left Doha,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari tells a regular briefing, adding that “technical teams are meeting as we speak.”
An official in the Prime Minister’s Office later confirms the departure of Barnea, adding that “senior working teams remain in Qatar to continue the talks and negotiations.”
The departure was expected. A senior Israeli official cited by Hebrew media outlets said Monday Barnea was due to hold meetings into the night and would likely return to Israel on Tuesday, while a negotiating team made up of intelligence officials remains in the Qatari capital to continue the talks.
An Israeli official estimated the negotiations in Doha could take at least two weeks, citing difficulties that Hamas’s foreign delegates may have in communicating with terror leaders in Gaza.
Talks had been on hold since last week, when Israel rejected a Hamas response to its latest offer for a six-week truce that would see 40 hostages released, with later stages possible to extend the break in fighting and allow more hostages to be freed. The terror group is reportedly seeking a deal for the release of hundreds of high-level Palestinian prisoners and an Israeli commitment to end fighting permanently and pull troops out of Gaza, with residents of north Gaza allowed to return home.
Israel has adamantly ruled out a permanent ceasefire and insists it will resume its declared goal of destroying Hamas once any hostage-truce deal is carried out.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
