The Israeli negotiating team on the Gaza war arrived in Doha on Thursday to continue talks on a possible ceasefire and the release of hostages and prisoners. Representatives of Hamas will not attend the meeting.
The Israeli team – including Mossad director David Barnea, Shin Bet director Ronen Bar, military coordinator for the hostages Nitzan Alon and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political adviser Ofir Fleck – is expected to meet with CIA director William Burns, Egyptian intelligence director Abbas Kamel and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet at 9 p.m. local time on Thursday to discuss developments in the talks, which could drag on beyond the scheduled day.
Hamas has decided to skip the Doha talks, suggesting it does not want to start new negotiations on the terms recently put forward by Israel as planned, but instead wants to continue discussion on the current draft ceasefire tabled by US President Joe Biden. Hamas could rejoin the talks early next week if mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States present a plan based on the proposals put forward by Biden, The National reported on Thursday, citing sources.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is scheduled to hold consultations with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Haaretz reported. The consultations will focus on the Doha meeting and the possibility that the International Criminal Court will soon issue arrest warrants against senior Israeli politicians for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
