Israel dispatched a delegation led by Mossad Director David Barnea to Rome on Sunday for a meeting with Qatari, Egyptian, and US mediators in another effort to end Israel’s war with Hamas, an Israeli government official confirmed.
According to the official, the meeting includes US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns, Prime Minister of Qatar Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, and head of Egyptian intelligence Abbas Kamel, reports Xinhua news agency.
The talks are the latest bid to end the nearly ten-month-long war. They will focus on securing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of more than 100 hostages held in the Palestinian enclave.
According to Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has toughened his stance.
In an updated deal proposal delivered to the United States on Saturday, Israel added new demands, including establishing a mechanism to prevent the transfer of weapons and militants from southern Gaza to the north and maintaining Israeli control over an area along the Gaza-Egypt border.