Israel Mossad chief leaves Doha but Gaza talks continue: Qatar

Israel’s spy chief has left Doha but talks over a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release are continuing in Qatar’s capital, a senior Qatari official said on Tuesday.

Mossad head David Barnea “has left Doha,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told a regular briefing, adding that “technical teams are meeting as we speak.”

Barnea had flown to Doha for talks with the Qatari premier and Egyptian officials on Monday, the first since mediators failed to secure a truce before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last week.

The technical teams are now looking at details of a potential deal after the principal negotiators discussed the “main issues,” al-Ansari said.

“We are at the point now where we are expecting that the counter-proposal would be presented to Hamas, but this is not the final step in the process,” al-Ansari said.

“I don’t think we are at a moment were we can say we are close to a deal. We are cautiously optimistic because talks have resumed, but it’s too early to announce any successes.”

On Monday, a Hamas official said the Palestinian militants would accept a partial Israeli withdrawal before exchanging prisoners, easing previous demands for a complete withdrawal from Gaza.