Israeli negotiators set to fly to Qatar for Gaza cease-fire, prisoner swap talks

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) – An Israeli negotiating team is set to fly to Qatar on Wednesday to pursue talks for a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, according to local media.

The team which includes representatives from the Mossad intelligence service, the Shin Bet domestic security agency, and the army will meet with mediators for talks on a Gaza cease-fire agreement, Haaretz newspaper said.

The talks are meant to narrow gaps between Israel and Hamas on a number of issues related to the cease-fire agreement, the daily said.

An Israeli negotiating delegation returned from Egypt on Monday, without achieving any breakthrough in the Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap negotiations.

For months, the US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a prisoner exchange and a cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in more than 40,500 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,700 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar