Mossad chief Dedi Barnea visited Qatar last weekend, it became known on Monday following reports that a plane carrying a senior Israeli official had landed in the country. As far as is known, Barnea visited the country for the negotiations for the release of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip, which Qatar leads against Hamas.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of reports in Israel that the hoped progress on the Qatari channel was halted last weekend and therefore it was decided to launch the ground operation.
A source familiar with the matter told Israel Hayom: "We saw that the Qataris were not able to bring about the release of the hostages as we thought, but they did not give up." Israel expected a significant deal last week to release some of the abductees, but the political echelon got the impression that Hamas operatives were deceiving Israel through Qatar, and therefore decided to pressure the organization with a ground incursion while continuing to pound from the air.
Documentation of IDF activity in the Gaza Strip // Photo: IDF Spokesperson
Even now, political sources see Qatar as the only avenue that could lead to a deal for the release of the hostages, which is also why the Mossad chief himself landed on the emirate's soil.
Qatar "provided proof" of its ties with Hamas when it led to the release of four abductees from captivity. However, the trickle rate dictated by Hamas to Israel was intended to limit military action. As the talks continued, there was concern in Israel that Hamas did not intend to release additional abductees and intended only to try to postpone the ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
Last weekend, with the understanding that Hamas intended to take only time while cynically using concern for the fate of the hostages, Israel decided to take ground action as well.
Emir of Qatar (archive), photo: Reuters
Reports about Barnea's visit to Qatar began with a tweet by Trey Yingst, Fox foreign news correspondent. He said a senior Israeli official, in coordination with the United States, visited Doha and met with the Qatari mediator on Saturday. According to the same report, the talks did revolve around the situation of the abductees and a possible deal for their release.
According to senior Israeli officials, Yingst claimed that the talks were halted on Friday because of disagreements between the sides, resumed on Saturday with the arrival of the Israeli official, and were "productive."
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