Mossad chief arrives in Qatar seeking comprehensive hostage exchange deal: Israeli media

By Abdul Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - The head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency landed Tuesday in Doha, Qatar seeking to reach a comprehensive hostage exchange deal with Hamas, including Israeli men and soldiers, local media reported.

David Barnea is set to meet with Bill Burns, the CIA director, and Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s emir, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported.

There was no official comment from Qatar, Egypt, or the US on the Israeli news report.

The broadcaster quoted an unnamed US official confirming reports of Burns' arrival in Qatar to discuss a deal for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The talks in Doha also aim to "enhance the mechanism of releasing the hostages, which faces numerous challenges," the broadcaster added without providing further details.

Israeli officials have said that at the end of the humanitarian pause in Gaza, now in its fifth day and set to go on for a sixth, the army would resume its military offensive on the enclave.

Qatar announced an agreement late Monday to extend the initial four-day humanitarian pause for an additional two days, under which further hostage exchanges will be carried out.

Groups of captives freed by Hamas so far have largely been made up of women and children.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

It has since killed over 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

*Writing by Ziad Aslan