Mossad and CIA hold secret talks with Qatar over Gaza truce
The head of Israel's Mossad, David Barnea, met in Doha, Qatar, with CIA Director Bill Burns and the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. The discussions were another attempt to reach an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi presented a new ceasefire proposal.
4:53 PM EDT, October 28, 2024
This is the first meeting of its kind since the killing nearly two weeks ago of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The United States, Egypt, and Qatar have been mediating for months in negotiations aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing for more than a year without result.
New proposal from Egypt
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi proposed a preliminary two-day ceasefire. In exchange, Hamas would release four hostages, who would be swapped for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. After two days, negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place over the next ten days.
About 100 hostages kidnapped on October 7, 2023, during a Hamas attack on Israel, are still in captivity.
The Egyptian proposal was received favorably by the Israeli government, with the exception of two far-right ministers: Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Nonetheless, the cabinet ultimately did not accept it, reports Israeli television Channel 12. Meanwhile, the Saudi station Al Arabiya reports that Hamas is willing to agree to the conditions proposed by el-Sisi, provided their prior demands are considered.
Hamas representatives are working on a comprehensive agreement, which would include a ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and the simultaneous release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of a specified number of Palestinian prisoners, reports Saudi television Asharq News.
Representatives from Hamas did not participate in the talks held in Doha; their meeting with negotiators is expected to occur at a later time. An Israeli official in Jerusalem told the "Times of Israel" portal that, to date, neither Israel nor the mediators have received an official response from Hamas regarding the latest round of talks.
The office of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the discussions in Qatar concerned a "new framework" agreement, taking into account previous arrangements and the "development of the situation in the region." According to information from "Times of Israel," the possibility of combining Egypt's short-term proposal with a previous comprehensive plan from the United States was discussed.
As early as May, U.S. President Joe Biden presented a three-stage plan aimed at achieving a full ceasefire and gradually exchanging hostages for prisoners. Despite initial acceptance from both conflicting sides, negotiations stalled due to mutual accusations of introducing new conditions.
Israel has repeatedly declared that it will not halt military actions until Hamas is destroyed as a military force and removed from power in the Gaza Strip. Conversely, Hamas vows to continue fighting until Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza. Regardless of other conditions, the Palestinian group also demands the release of Yahya Sinwar's body, reported the Israeli portal Ynet.
