A senior Israeli envoy has met the prime minister of Qatar, a key mediator in the conflict in Gaza, a source said on Saturday, while sources from Egypt suggested Israel appeared to be more open to a new deal with Hamas.
In another signal of a possible breakthrough, Israeli media said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would convene his security cabinet and deliver a televised statement on Saturday evening. Netanyahu’s office did not immediately confirm that.
The Gaza war, triggered by a shock Hamas killing and kidnapping spree in south Israel on Oct. 7, has shaken regional and world powers as the Palestinian civilian toll spirals.
While pledging to destroy Hamas, Israel has also sought to recover hostages held by the Palestinian group.
In late November, it entered a week-long, Qatari- and Egyptian-brokered truce under which Hamas released more than 100 women, children and foreigners it was holding in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers freed from Israeli jails.
Representing Israel at those negotiations was its spy service Mossad. On Friday, Mossad director David Barnea met Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in a European capital, a source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Two Egyptian security sources said Israeli officials appeared more willing, in calls with mediators, to strike a fresh deal for a Gaza ceasefire and release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the recovery of hostages.
The Egyptian sources said Israeli officials appeared to have changed their mind on some points that they had previously refused, but did not go into further detail.
