ISRAEL’s Mossad spy chief and the CIA director have attended talks in the Qatari capital, Doha – the first high-level talks since ceasefire efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza broke down in August.
David Barnea and William Burns were joined by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in efforts to revive talks after the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar on October 16.
Families of Israeli captives have also built pressure on the Israeli government to sign a deal to secure the release of their relatives.
Nearly 100 captives still remain in Gaza as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuffed talks and escalated military operations. He has faced months of protests demanding a deal to bring back the captives.
On Sunday, Israeli protesters interrupted him, shouting ‘”shame on you”, as he was speaking at a memorial for the victims of the October 7, 2023, attacks. At least 1,100 people were killed in the attacks led by Hamas.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office said in a statement on X that the Mossad chief had returned from the talks. “In the coming days, discussions will continue between the mediators and Hamas to assess the feasibility of talks and to further efforts to promote a deal,” the statement said on Monday.
The Qatari prime minister said his country has recently “re-engaged” with Hamas leaders in Doha since Sinwar was killed. Israel also killed the main Hamas negotiator Ismail Haniyeh in July while he was visiting Tehran.
Truce talks have repeatedly stalled over more than one year of war, which has killed nearly 43,000 Palestinians.
Hamas has been seeking a permanent ceasefire and wants the withdrawal of Israeli forces as part of any deal. But Netanyahu wants military control over parts of Gaza.
“As long as Israel sticks to its definition of success, there will be no peaceful release of hostages,” said Sultan Barakat, a professor of public policy at Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University and an honorary professor at the University of York.
“The careful calibration has sadly moved to avoiding the spread of a regional conflict as a result of the Israel and Iran confrontation and not to ending the genocide.”
