It has been cleared for publication that Mossad Director David (Dadi) Barnea paid an unannounced visit to Doha, Qatar, on Thursday.
While there, Barnea held talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, with discussions centered on advancing negotiations for a prisoner exchange arrangement with the Hamas terror organization.
The trip came as the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey intensified their efforts to craft a broad agreement aimed at compelling Israel to halt its war against Hamas in exchange for the release of the hostages who remain in the hands of Gaza-based terror factions.
Sources with knowledge of the discussions indicated that the goal is to use the limited time remaining before a possible large-scale IDF ground offensive in Gaza to attempt to secure a diplomatic breakthrough.
In response to the media reports, the Mossad issued a statement saying: “The Mossad chief traveled to Qatar for Mossad-related matters, and not on matters relating to the negotiations for a hostage deal. The Mossad chief even clarified during the meeting that a partial deal is off the table.”
Separately, it emerged that the Qatari prime minister met last week in Ibiza, Spain, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, where they explored ways to move forward with a comprehensive arrangement to bring the war to a close.
Earlier this week, a Hamas delegation traveled from Istanbul to Cairo, where they engaged in talks with senior officials from Egypt’s intelligence service. On Wednesday, they held a meeting with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, with the agenda focused on reopening the possibility of negotiations for a hostage release agreement and a ceasefire in Gaza.
{Matzav.com Israel}
