Israeli delegation to travel to Qatar for hostage deal with Hamas

Jerusalem, Jan 12: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed a senior delegation to depart to the Qatari capital, Doha, to continue advancing a deal with Hamas to release the Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office on Saturday said the directive followed a situation assessment Netanyahu held Saturday evening with Defence Minister Israel Katz and US negotiators from "both the outgoing and incoming administrations."

The Israeli delegation includes David Barnea, head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency, and Ronen Bar, chief of the Shin Bet internal security service, reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, Israel Katz, on January 10, has instructed the military to prepare a plan for the "total defeat" of Hamas if a hostage release deal is not signed by January 20.