Israel’s spy chief continues talks in Qatar for Gaza cease-fire, prisoner swap deal

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel’s top spy, Mossad chief David Barnea, continued his talks in Qatar on Monday to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement with Hamas.

Barnea arrived on Sunday in the Qatari capital, Doha where held talks with CIA Director William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss the resumption of talks with Hamas.

Israeli Channel 12, citing unnamed sources, said progress has been made on the updated outlines of the talks, without providing further details.

If negotiators managed to make progress during the Doha talks, an expanded round of negotiations could be held in Egypt with the participation of the head of Egypt’s intelligence service Hassan Rashad, the broadcaster said.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday proposed a two-day cease-fire in Gaza during which four Israeli hostages and some Palestinian prisoners would be released.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, rejected the Egyptian cease-fire proposal, according to Israeli media.

Israel estimates that some 101 captives are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, some of whom are believed to have been already killed by indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes across the densely populated enclave.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar have so far failed to yield a cease-fire in Gaza, but Washington maintains that Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Oct. 18 may lead to a breakthrough in talks. Hamas, however, says the conflict will end when Israel stops its military campaign in the blockaded enclave, which has killed nearly 43,000 people since last year.

The Israeli army has continued a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border incursion by Hamas last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar