Qatari delegation arrives in Israel to advance casefire deal with Hamas

Shafaq News / The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" revealed on Saturday the arrival of a Qatari delegation in Israel, aimed at advancing a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

According to the newspaper, as reported by "Al Hurra", a diplomat stated that "the Qatari delegation arrived on a visit to coordinate between Israelis and their counterparts in Doha to ensure the smooth progress of the deal and discuss further details about the ongoing agreement."

Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation's website reported that a private Qatari plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport, indicating news of a meeting between Qatari officials and Israeli security officials to discuss future deals between Hamas and Israel in the coming days.

The website quoted its correspondent saying, "Both parties are discussing future exchange deals that could take place in the near future, alongside the progress of the current agreement."

On Friday, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect, allowing for the exchange of hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.

Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, primarily mediated to reach the four-day ceasefire agreement, which is subject to extension.

The agreement stipulated the cessation of military actions in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of 50 hostages held in Gaza and 150 detainees in Israeli prisons.

The first batch of 24 hostages released by Hamas arrived in Israel via Egypt on Friday night.

The Israeli army estimates that there are still 215 hostages in Gaza, according to spokesperson Doron Spielman, who added, "In many cases, we do not know if they are alive or deceased."