Israel’s spy chief holds talks in Qatar on Gaza cease-fire deal

JERUSALEM

Director of Israel’s Mossad spy agency David Barnea held talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha to discuss a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap deal, Israeli media said on Thursday.

Israeli news portal Walla said Barnea’s visit to Qatar on Wednesday was part of efforts to reach a deal with Hamas before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

There was no comment from Qatari authorities on the report yet.

Walla, citing two Israeli officials, said Hamas showed “flexibility” regarding an Israeli cease-fire proposal presented to the group for a “partial deal” in Gaza in return for the release of some hostages.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last October, killing more than 44,800 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 106,000.

The second year of the genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara