David Barnea, the head of the Israeli Mossad, attends an honor guard ceremony for Israel’s incoming military chief Herzi Halevi at Israel’s Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 16, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen

The head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency visited Qatar on Thursday to revive Gaza ceasefire talks, according to multiple reports.

Two Israeli officials told Reuters about the meeting, which was the most high-level talks between Israel and mediators since negotiations broke down last month.

David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani to discuss the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, according to Axios, which reported that the head of Israel’s national intelligence agency stressed in his meetings that the Israeli cabinet’s decision to take military control of Gaza City is not a bluff. Israel is prepared to proceed with the plan if there is no progress in negotiations to reach a ceasefire and hostage-release deal, a source familiar with the meeting told the outlet.

The Israeli publication Ynet also said in a report that a private jet linked to the Mossad landed in Doha on Thursday, fueling speculation that Barnea arrived in the Qatari capital for the first time since negotiations faltered three weeks ago.

Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan last week to take control of Gaza City, which followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying hours earlier that Israel intended to take military control of the entire enclave temporarily until it can hand governance over to Arab authorities.

“We intend to control all of Gaza. We don’t want to keep it. We want a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern [Gaza]. We don’t want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand Gaza over to Arab forces that will govern [the territory] properly,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News.

“We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas,” the Israeli premier added. “In order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance … The only way that you’re [going to] have a different future is to get rid of this neo-Nazi army. Hamas are monsters.”

Israel’s new military plan lists five objectives: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group, demilitarizing Gaza, taking security control of the territory, and establishing “an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.”

“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Israel’s military said in a statement last week.

Many observers have argued that, while Israel appears intent on proceeding with its military plan, the announcement can also serve as a way to pressure the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, to agree to a satisfactory truce.

Israel and the United States both recalled their negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar in late July, with US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff saying that Hamas has not been acting in good faith and “clearly shows a lack of desire” to reach a deal despite weeks of mediated discussions with the terrorist group.

Since then, there has been a renewed push for a comprehensive deal to end the war, release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, and avert an Israeli offensive. The US, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are all reportedly involved in efforts to revive and ultimately draft a comprehensive deal.

Barnea’s visit on Thursday coincides with ongoing talks in Cairo between Hamas leaders and Egyptian officials. A Hamas delegation had visited Istanbul over the weekend and met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for talks on Gaza.