Israel cancels Mossad head’s Qatar trip to restart hostage talks

Mossad director David Barnea will not travel to the Qatari capital Doha, where previous talks on the release of hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza have taken place, the source said.

Israel’s Channel 13 first reported Wednesday that the Israeli war cabinet, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had called off the trip and that senior Israeli officials would not go to Qatar to restart negotiations.

Around 240 people, from infants to octogenarians, were taken hostage during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. Dozens have been freed but many more remain missing, presumed to be held by the Palestinian organization and other groups in Gaza, following the breakdown of a temporary truce last month.

The Israeli prime minister’s office believes 135 hostages remain in Gaza, 116 of whom are alive.

Formal negotiations have not resumed since hostage talks that had been taking place in Doha broke down earlier this month.

But Israel, the United States and Qatar have continued to discuss ways to try to jump start the discussions, multiple sources stated.

“We never stopped,” one source familiar with the talks said.

Families of some of the Israeli hostages were outraged by the decision to cancel Barnea’s trip and demanded answers, stating, “We are fed up with the indifference and deadlock.”

“The families were shocked by the report on the rejection of the Director of Mossad’s request to formulate an agreement for the release of the hostages,” the statement added.

“This announcement comes in addition to the ignoring of the parents’ request to meet with the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister, which have not yet been answered.”