Qatar said on Tuesday that the Israeli spy chief has left Doha but teams are continuing to meet for talks over a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap in Doha.
Mossad chief David Barnea “has left Doha,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed aAl-Ansari tells a regular briefing, adding that “technical teams are meeting as we speak.”
The spokesperson, meanwhile, said it was still too early to talk about progress in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, but noted that Doha was optimistic.
He added that the next major objective of the Gaza ceasefire negotiations is to send a counterproposal to Hamas.
An official in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office later confirmed the departure of Barnea, adding that “senior working teams remain in Qatar to continue the talks and negotiations.”
The departure was expected. A senior Israeli official cited by Hebrew media outlets said Monday Barnea was due to hold meetings into the night and would likely return to the Zionist entity on Tuesday, while a negotiating team made up of intelligence officials remains in the Qatari capital to continue the talks.
An Israeli official estimated the negotiations in Doha could take at least two weeks, citing alleged difficulties that Hamas’s foreign delegates may have in communicating with the resistance leaders in Gaza.
The new round on Monday was the first indirect negotiations between Israeli officials and Hamas leaders since the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began on March 11. An earlier round of talks ended in failure after the Israeli occupation rejected Hamas’ demand for a deal that would lead to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Hamas reportedly presented a new set of demands on Thursday ahead of planned talks in Doha, Qatar, including the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a possible agreement on a permanent truce. In return, Hamas would begin releasing Israeli hostages, including women, the sick and the elderly, as well as female Israeli soldiers, media reports said. In a second phase, Hamas would release the remaining Israeli hostages and soldiers, according to media reports.
Source: Agencies
