Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, his office said Saturday, in a sign of progress in talks on the war in Gaza. David Barnea will travel to Qatar's capital, Doha, for the latest round of indirect talks between Israel and the Hamas militant group, the AP reports. His presence means high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved. The talks mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar have repeatedly stalled since early in the 15 months of fighting.
Netanyahu's office said the decision was made after a meeting with his defense minister, security chiefs, and negotiators "on behalf of the outgoing and incoming US administrations." Steve Witkoff, President-elect Trump's Middle East envoy, arrived in Israel on Saturday, a day after meetings in Qatar, per the Guardian. President Biden's outgoing administration and Trump's incoming one are making a push to stop the fighting in Gaza and win the release of hostages being held there before the transfer of power in the US. "We'll certainly—in this administration—work very hard at that right up until January 20," CIA William Burns told NPR. "And I think the coordination with the new administration on this issue has been good."
The bodies of two of the hostages in the past week have raised fears that time is running out. Hamas has said it isn't sure which of the hostages it took are alive or dead, per the AP. A statement by a group on behalf of some of their families implored: "Return with an agreement that ensures the return of all hostages, down to the last one—the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for proper burial in their homeland." (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)
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