The pinnacle of Israel’s delegation has returned dwelling from cease-fire talks in Qatar, an Israeli official mentioned on Tuesday, however talks there are persevering with amid one other intensive diplomatic push to safe a pause within the combating in Gaza as famine looms.
Warnings from the United Nations {that a} “famine is imminent” have added urgency to efforts to dealer a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, and get extra humanitarian assist into Gaza. Along with the discussions in Qatar, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will go to Saudi Arabia and Egypt this week to debate postwar plans for Gaza and the broader Center East.
Israeli negotiators arrived in Qatar’s capital, Doha, on Monday for a brand new spherical of in-person talks a few potential cease-fire and the discharge of hostages held by Hamas and different armed teams. Their delegation was led by David Barnea, the pinnacle of Mossad, Israel’s international spy company.
Mr. Barnea returned to Israel on Tuesday morning, based on an Israeli official who requested anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to talk to the press. Additional particulars weren’t instantly obtainable, however the Israeli information media reported that different members of Israel’s negotiating workforce remained in Qatar.
Officers from Qatar and Egypt have acted as intermediaries within the cease-fire discussions, partly as a result of negotiators for Israel and Hamas don’t discuss instantly with one another.
A spokesman for Qatar’s international ministry, Majed al-Ansari, confirmed that Mr. Barnea had departed however mentioned on Tuesday that “technical groups” looking for to hash out finer particulars of a possible settlement have been persevering with to satisfy in Doha.
He mentioned that whereas there had not but been a breakthrough in talks, Qatar remained “cautiously optimistic.”
Two senior Israeli officers mentioned the federal government had initially given its negotiating workforce an amorphous mandate for the most recent spherical of talks. The workforce had now been licensed to go deeper into particulars throughout the talks, they mentioned, however wasn’t given the complete latitude it had requested. The officers spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to speak with the information media.
The Israeli officers mentioned on Monday {that a} proposal being mentioned included a 42-day pause within the combating in trade for the discharge of 40 of the greater than 100 hostages taken from Israel and nonetheless held in Gaza by Hamas or its allies. However they emphasised that they anticipated it could take a very long time to achieve an settlement.
Final week, Hamas introduced a brand new proposal that omitted a earlier demand that Israel instantly comply with a everlasting cease-fire in return for starting an trade of hostages and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, based on individuals acquainted with the negotiations.
The Israeli officers mentioned Hamas’s new proposal included particulars that have been unacceptable to Israel.
For months, Hamas leaders have been publicly calling for a complete cease-fire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israeli officers repeatedly rejected the calls for and indicated that they might be open to solely a brief pause.
Cassandra Vinograd contributed reporting.