Negotiations for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas will resume next week, a senior Israeli official said after Mossad chief David Barnea returned to Israel on Saturday following a meeting in Paris with top mediators Americans and Qataris.
According to the official, Barnea discussed “laying the groundwork” for resuming talks with CIA Director William Burns and Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
At the end of the meeting, the official said the three agreed to resume negotiations next week on “new proposals led by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators, with the active participation of the United States.”
The Kan public broadcaster reported that during the Paris talks, Barnea presented Burns and al-Thani with Israel’s latest proposal, and was briefed by the CIA chief on possible solutions to unspecified areas of contention during the talks. previous rounds of talks.
The war cabinet is expected to meet Sunday evening to discuss the latest efforts to free the hostages, according to Israeli media.
There has been no official response from Hamas, although a source in the terror group told the Walla news site that it would not resume negotiations until Israel agrees to end to the war in Gaza.
Egypt’s intelligence director, Abbas Kamel, who represented Cairo in previous rounds, did not attend the Paris meeting, but Kan said an Egyptian representative is expected to attend an additional meeting next week.
CIA chief William Burns, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. (Collage/AP/AFP)
Despite the Israeli official’s statement on Saturday, sources cited by Kan and Walla said no date had been agreed upon for the resumption of talks, with the latter media outlet saying the Biden administration was surprised by the announcement.
“We are working toward an immediate ceasefire in Gaza that will bring the hostages home,” US President Joe Biden told West Point graduates on Saturday, adding that his administration was engaged in “urgent diplomacy” to achieve it. .
Efforts to restart talks come weeks after the previous round of negotiations collapsed, with the sides unable to bridge the gap on the fundamental issue: Hamas seeks a hostage deal that permanently ends the war started by its October 7 assault, while Israel is only willing to accept a temporary ceasefire, as it aims to complete the dismantling of the terrorist group.
Before Barnea left for Paris, the war cabinet voted Thursday to extend the “leash” of the Israeli delegation to the hostage-taking truce talks, according to the Ynet news site.
The report says there is broad consensus among security officials, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Ministers Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot and Ron Dermer, as well as cabinet observer Aryeh Deri, on the need to expand the mandate of the negotiating team.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who reportedly opposed the move, was reportedly influenced by the widespread support for the decision and by Wednesday’s release of footage showing the kidnapping of female IDF soldiers on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists who stormed southern Israel killed some 1,200 people and took 252 hostage.
Israel’s war cabinet and top security officials meet in Tel Aviv on April 14, hours after the Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says more than 35,000 people were killed in the Gaza Strip in the ensuing fighting, of which the UN says some 24,000 people have been identified . The toll, which cannot be independently verified, includes some 15,000 armed men whom Israel says it killed in combat. Israel also claims to have killed some 1,000 terrorists in Israel on October 7.
An estimated 121 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza – not all alive – after 105 civilians were released from captivity by Hamas during a week-long truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that.
Three hostages were rescued alive by troops, and the bodies of 19 hostages were also found, including three mistakenly killed by the army. The Israeli military confirmed the deaths of 37 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. Another person has been missing since October 7 and their fate is still unknown.
Hamas has also held the bodies of fallen soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as those of two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, both of whom are believed to be alive after entering the Gaza Strip. of their own accord in 2014. and 2015 respectively.
News Source : www.timesofisrael.com
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