Mossad chief told by Netanyahu to leave Qatar amid ‘dead end’ negotiations

Hamas didn’t fulfill its end of the agreement to release all women and children in captivity.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Mossad head David Barnea announced that he was given orders by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return from Qatar after a “dead end” in negotiations.

“Due to the dead end in negotiations, and following instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad head David Barnea ordered the negotiating team in Doha to return home.”

Barnea’s announcement continued that Hamas didn’t fulfill its end of the agreement to release all women and children in captivity.

The Mossad says that a negotiating team that had been in Qatar has been ordered home with talks on extending a truce reaching a “dead end.”

“Due to the dead end in negotiations, and following instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad head David Barnea ordered the negotiating team in Doha to return home,” says a rare statement from Netanyahu’s office issued on behalf of the spy agency.

“The Hamas terror group did not fulfill its obligations under the agreement that included releasing all the women and children that were on the list provided to Hamas that had authorized it,” the statement says.

“The head of Mossad thanks the head of the CIA, Egypt’s intelligence minister, and the prime minister of Qatar for their partnership and the tremendous mediation efforts that led to the release of 84 women and children from Gaza, in addition to 24 foreign nationals.”

Following last week’s hostage released, there are 136 captives remaining in Gaza, 114 men, 20 women, and 2 children. Ten are 75 and older. Eleven of the hostages are foreign nationals, and eight of these are from Thailand.

An Israeli official told The Wall Street Journal on Friday that Israel would consider additional pauses in the fighting in exchange for the release of more hostages.

He said, “We can negotiate while we still fight.”

However, Hamas  Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri told Al-Jazeera on Saturday night that Hamas won’t release hostages until the IDF ceases military operations in Gaza.

“Let the war take its course. This decision is final. We will not compromise on it,” Arouri said.