Doha, Qatar – The head of Israel’s Mossad secret service and the director of the CIA attended talks in the Qatari capital Doha – the first high-level talks since the failure of ceasefire efforts to end the war in Gaza in August.
David Barnea and William Burns were joined by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in efforts to restart talks following the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on October 16.
Families of Israeli prisoners have also pressured the Israeli government to sign an agreement guaranteeing the release of their loved ones.
Nearly 100 prisoners still remain in Gaza as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed back talks and stepped up military operations. He faced months of protests demanding a deal to bring back the captives.
On Sunday, Israeli protesters interrupted him, shouting “shame on you,” as he spoke in front of a memorial for the victims of the October 7, 2023 attacks. At least 1,100 people were killed in the attacks. 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 negotiations and continue efforts to promote an agreement,” the statement said Monday.
The Qatari prime minister said his country had recently “renewed dialogue” with Hamas leaders in Doha since Sinwar’s assassination. Israel also killed Hamas’s top negotiator, Ismail Haniyeh, in July while he was visiting Tehran.
Truce talks have repeatedly stalled after more than a year of war, which has killed nearly 43,000 Palestinians.
Hamas seeks a permanent ceasefire and wants Israeli forces to withdraw 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 the hostages,” said Sultan Barakat, professor of public policy at Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University and professor honorary at the University of York.
“This careful calibration unfortunately made it possible to avoid the spread of a regional conflict resulting from the confrontation between Israel and Iran and not to put an end to the genocide. »
“Not ready to make concessions”
On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said military operations alone are not enough to achieve the country’s war goals.
“To fulfill our moral and ethical duty to return hostages to their homes, painful compromises are necessary,” he said during an official ceremony honoring soldiers killed in the conflict.
According to Israeli media, Barnea, the Mossad chief, is traveling with a commitment of “goodwill” but does not have a mandate regarding a change in the status of the Israeli takeover of the Philadelphia and Netzarim corridors in Gaza. Netanyahu wants to control these two corridors – the Philadelphia one, on the border with Egypt, and the Netzarim corridor, which divides northern and southern Gaza.
Hamas sources said its demands were firm for a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the entire Gaza Strip, the release of Palestinian prisoners imprisoned in Israel, the delivery of aid to the whole of Gaza and the end of the war.
Luciano Zaccara, an adjunct associate professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, said he was not “optimistic about a breakthrough.”
“Even though the Israeli delegation is here, they attacked Iran. So it seems that they are not prepared to make any concessions to any of their enemies. Israel has decided to push for a definitive military solution against Hamas,” he told Tel Aviv Tribune.
Egypt and Qatar mediated between Israel and Hamas, leading to the only breakthrough in November, when a prisoner exchange deal led to the release of around 100 Israeli prisoners in exchange for around 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Analysts believe that this round of negotiations will most likely result in a wait just days before the US elections.
Besides the much-vaunted plan unveiled by US President Joe Biden in May, another proposal providing for a temporary ceasefire and aid deliveries in exchange for the release of several Israeli prisoners in Gaza is also under discussion.
Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s domestic security service, the Shin Bet, already traveled to Cairo to discuss the proposal with Egyptian officials last week.
Egypt on Sunday proposed a two-day ceasefire in Gaza that would involve the exchange of four Israeli prisoners for Palestinian prisoners.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi said on Sunday that talks should resume within 10 days of the implementation of the temporary ceasefire to try to achieve a permanent ceasefire.
“A public relations exercise”
The new head of Egypt’s intelligence services, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, has already met with Hamas deputy leader Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo.
Before the negotiations, there was already opposition from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Far-right leaders called the temporary proposals “a gift to Hamas while Israel is on a roll.”
But some are in favor of this proposal because the fighting has lasted for more than a year and the pressure from the prisoners’ families is increasing.
Supporters of a deal to release some captives include Gallant, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin.
According to Hamas officials who recently visited Moscow, if a deal is reached, two Israeli prisoners with dual Russian citizenship would be among the first to be released. But all this depends on Israel’s willingness to temporarily suspend its assault.
It is very likely that the situation in Lebanon after Israeli incursions and bombings will also return, but separate talks are underway to end this conflict. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Lebanese interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati in London on Friday and called for the protection of civilian lives, although he did not explicitly call for a ceasefire. He emphasized reaching an agreement on the disarmament of Hezbollah.
According to Israeli media, the head of Mossad has already told the head of the CIA this week that any ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in Lebanon must also include an agreement on the release of prisoners in Gaza.
Noureddine Miladi, professor of media and communications at Qatar University, said ongoing negotiations, whether in Qatar or Cairo, are unlikely to produce tangible results.
“In my opinion, this is mainly a public relations exercise without substantial results to alleviate the plight of the Palestinians or lead to the release of the hostages,” he told Tel Aviv Tribune.
“All these speech exercises for show are absurd. On the ground, things are only going in one direction: total control of Gaza by Israel and the establishment of settlements” on Palestinian territory.