Israel’s intelligence chief meets Qatar’s Prime Minister, possibilities of Gaza hostage talks increase
Israel has confirmed that new talks are underway to get hostages taken by Hamas, a source said, after a source said Israel’s intelligence chief met with the prime minister of Qatar, who supports Palestinians. It is a country that mediates conflicts. -Israeli.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a news conference on Saturday that the war in Gaza was existential and must be fought until victory. He said Gaza would be demilitarized and placed under Israeli security control.
Netanyahu vowed to maintain intense military pressure on Hamas, saying Israel’s offensive in Gaza helped secure a partial hostage release deal in November. He has vowed to destroy the Palestinian militant group that rules the densely populated strip.
Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and captured 240 hostages in a surprise attack on Israel on October 7. According to Gaza health officials, Israel’s retaliatory attacks killed approximately 19,000 people and buried thousands under debris.
Aid organizations say the destruction of Gaza and the displacement of most of its 2.3 million people – many of them living in tents and makeshift shelters without food or clean water – is a humanitarian crisis.
David Barnia, the head of Israeli spy agency Mossad, met with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Friday night to discuss a possible move, according to a source familiar with the matter. and a prisoner and hostage agreement in Gaza.
The meeting was apparently the first in Europe between senior officials from Israel and Qatar, acting as mediators, since the collapse of a seven-day ceasefire in late November.
‘Get them the hell out’
“We have seriously criticized Qatar,” he said, pointing to the gas-rich Gulf state’s ties with Hamas and Israel’s arch enemy Iran. “But now we are trying to complete the recovery of our hostages.”
Hamas said in a statement that it “reaffirms its position of no negotiations for a prisoner exchange until the aggression against our people ceases forever,” adding: “ The movement informed all the mediators about this situation.” ,
The sudden killing of three hostages by Israeli forces has increased pressure on Netanyahu to find a way to release those held captive.
As Netanyahu spoke, several hundred people protested in Tel Aviv, some carrying banners, one of which read,
As night fell on Saturday, residents reported intensification of fighting in the center of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, with sounds of bombardment and shelling from Israeli planes and tanks and rocket shells apparently fired by fighters. Were. Of Hamas.
“The situation is getting worse every day,” said Samira, a 40-year-old mother of four displaced in Rafah, near the southern border with Egypt. Food is becoming scarce, water is becoming spoiled. “Only death, fear and destruction are increasing.” ,
In a sign of the conflict’s wider impact, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they had attacked the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat with a swarm of drones, one of several drone incidents reported in the region on Saturday.
Two major shipping companies said they would avoid the Suez Canal as the Houthis stepped up attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
US Central Command said the destroyer Carney had shot down 14 Houthi drones in the Red Sea. Britain said one of its warships had shot down a suspected attack drone targeting merchant ships.
