Israel low-level delegation expected in Doha for Gaza ceasefire talks

A low-level Israeli delegation is expected in Qatar on Wednesday for another round of Gaza ceasefire and hostage release negotiations, Israeli media reported.

The delegation, comprised of working-level members of Mossad, Shin Bet and the Israeli army, will reportedly hold talks with mediators from the Gulf country, Egypt and the US, who have participated in such discussions since the start of the war in Gaza.

The delegation is expected to "try and bridge the gaps" that exist between Israel and Hamas, Haaretz said on Wednesday.

The decision for the Israeli delegation to head to Doha came after consultations were held in the country following its return from another round of talks in Cairo on Sunday.

The talks in Egypt yielded no results after both parties rejected compromises suggested by mediators.

Due to the low-level nature of the delegation, the group will not include the heads of the Israeli intelligence services and the army, meaning that the likes of Mossad chief David Barnea will be absent.

Among Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s requests include the presence of Israeli forces along the Philadelphi corridor and the screening of displaced Palestinians as they return to the enclave's more heavily populated north when the ceasefire begins.

Hamas's delegation leader said Netanyahu was still refusing to end the war and withdraw the Israeli army from the battered territory.

The Palestinian group has repeatedly requested that Israeli troops completely pull out from Gaza in their ceasefire deal demands. Hamas, however, has said it would be ready to implement the ceasefire deal presented by US President Joe Biden in May.

Unless there is "some flexibility on these issues it is doubtful that we will be able to secure the release of the hostages," one source involved in the negotiations talks Haaretz. 

The fate of a ceasefire deal is "largely a question that is going to be answered" by the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, Deputy CIA Director David Cohen said on Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.

Little is expected outcome-wise from Wednesday’s talks, due to the small-scale of the Israeli delegation and the repeated failures to reach a deal since October 7.

Only one truce deal has been agreed upon so far, when the war was brought to a halt for a week in November which enabled the release of several Palestinian prisoners and Israeli captives.

Despite the setbacks, mediators have continued to push for an agreement on multiple occasions.

When asked about the negotiations on Tuesday, US White House security spokesperson John Kirby pushed back against suggestions that talks had broken down, stressing that they "remain constructive".

On Wednesday, Qatari Prime Minister a Mohammed Al Thani discussed latest developments in the mediation to end the war on the Gaza Strip with UAE National Security Advisor Tahnoun bin Zayed. He also spoke with US envoy Brett McGurk on the Israeli captives in Gaza on Tuesday, after his visit to Iran.

Israel's war has killed at least 40,534 Palestinians since October 7, with thousands feared buried under rubble. The military onslaught has rendered much of the territory inhabitable, amid a humanitarian catastrophe exacerbated by rising hunger and disease levels.