Written by Mayan Lobel
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A high-level Israeli security delegation arrived in Qatar on Sunday for talks on the Gaza hostage deal and a ceasefire agreement, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, a possible sign that hitherto elusive agreements are close to being reached.
Qatar and fellow mediators Egypt and the United States are making renewed efforts to reach an agreement to stop the fighting in the enclave and release the remaining 98 hostages held there before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.
Netanyahu's office said on Saturday that the delegation includes Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet internal security chief Ronen Bar, and head of the military hostage division Nitzan Alon.
Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, met with Netanyahu on Saturday, after he met on Friday with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Israeli and Palestinian officials have said since Thursday that some progress has been made in indirect talks between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), but did not provide details. Both sides have kept a tight lid on the details being worked out.
It is unclear how they will be able to bridge one of the biggest gaps that persisted during previous rounds of talks: Hamas demands an end to the war while Israel says it will not end the war as long as Hamas rules Gaza and poses a threat to the Israelis. .
Israel launched its attack on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed its border in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage, according to Israeli statistics.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the Strip destroyed and in a humanitarian crisis, with most of its population displaced.
