Israel is withdrawing its Mossad negotiators from Qatar, where talks were being held to broker a new ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
“Due to the dead end in negotiations, and following instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad head David Barnea ordered the negotiating team in Doha to return home,” reads a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued on 2 December.
The Mossad team had been engaging in discussions with Qatari mediators since 26 November in an attempt to reach an agreement for a renewed ceasefire in the war on Gaza and the release of hostages.
The temporary ceasefire, initiated on November 24, involved the release of hostages by both Israel and Hamas. However, the truce ended on 1 December, with accusations from both sides regarding the failure to release all individuals as agreed upon.
Israel’s withdrawal from the negotiation table comes on the same day an Israeli airstrike killed over 100 Palestinian citizens living in a residential building in Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip, according to a WAFA correspondent on site.
THE CONFLICT SO FAR
After a surprise attack conducted on 7 October by Hamas on a number of southern Israeli towns, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,200 people and more than 220 being taken hostage by Hamas, Israel launched a retaliatory bombing campaign against what it describes as ‘terrorist targets’ in the Gaza Strip.
More than 15,500 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip — including at least 6,500 children — and over 40,000 others injured. Meanwhile, over 225 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and more than 2,700 injured. The death toll is no longer being regularly updated due to the collapse of the enclave’s health system.
Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on 22 November, announcing a four-day cessation of hostilities to facilitate the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza, 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the entry of humanitarian aid. The truce, extended for three additional days, began on 24 November and ended on 1 December.
Egypt played an active role in mediating the ceasefire agreement along with Qatar and the United States.
During an event in support of Palestine at Cairo International Stadium, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed that the forced relocation of Palestinians is a “red line” for Egypt, and will not be accepted.
The priority of the Egyptian government since the beginning of the conflict has been de-escalation and securing a path for aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing.
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[…] Israel is withdrawing its Mossad negotiators from Qatar, where talks were being held to broker a new ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. “Due to the dead end in negotiations, and following instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad head David Barnea ordered the negotiating team in Doha to return home,” reads a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued on 2 December…Read More […]