Delegates from Israeli to attend ceasefire move in Qatar

Pressure has been building on Israel’s Netanyahu to strike a deal to secure the release of the captives [Dylan Martinez/Reuters]

An Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Qatar soon to continue talks on securing a pause in the war on Gaza that could see captives released.

The talks began last week in Paris and were attended by the chiefs of Israel’s spy agency Mossad and domestic security service Shin Bet, along with mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

The four countries have come to an understanding of “basic contours” of a hostage deal for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on CCNN on Sunday.

The deal is still under negotiation, Sullivan said, adding there will have to be indirect discussions by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said it was not clear yet whether a hostage deal would materialise from ongoing talks, declining to discuss specifics but saying Hamas needed to “come down to a reasonable situation”.

Netanyahu, speaking in an interview with CBS News, added he was meeting with staff later on Sunday to review a dual military plan that included the evacuation of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and an operation to destroy remaining Hamas battalions, which Israel says are located in Rafah in southern Gaza.

“If we have a deal, it will be delayed somewhat, but it will happen. If we don’t have a deal, we’ll do it anyway,” he told CBS.

Sullivan said on Sunday in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” programme that US President Joe Biden has not been briefed on Israel’s plan for military operations in Rafah, but believes civilian life must be protected.

“We do not believe that an operation, a major military operation, should proceed in Rafah unless there is a clear and executable plan to protect those civilians, to get them to safety and to feed, clothe and house them,” Sullivan said.

After the Israeli delegation returned from the French capital, Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said that “there is probably room to move towards an agreement”.

According to Israeli media, negotiators had a meeting with the Israeli cabinet, which agreed to send a delegation to Qatar in the coming days to continue negotiations.

Invest or Donate towards HICGI New Agency Global Media Establishment – Watch video here