JERUSALEM/BRUSSELS/CAIRO- Israel's Mossad chief David Barnea visited Doha on Thursday for talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on a Gaza hostage deal, Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported.
A senior Israeli official told Kan that Barnea informed the Qatari prime minister that a phased deal for the release of the 50 hostages held in Gaza "is off the table."
The official said the meeting focused on "issues involving the Mossad" and not on renewing the indirect negotiations in Doha, the last of which took place in early July.
The visit comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that efforts to secure a truce in Gaza are now centered on a comprehensive deal to release all remaining hostages at once. Previous deals involved temporary truces in exchange for the phased release of hostages.
Barnea's visit also follows reports that a Hamas delegation arrived in Qatar earlier this week, in a bid to revive negotiations and avert Israel's plan to further escalate its offensive in Gaza.
Also on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had reviewed a military plan for seizing Gaza City, signaling preparations for what would be one of the most extensive ground operations in Gaza since the war began in October 2023.
Katz met at military headquarters in Tel Aviv with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other top commanders, who presented the main principles of an operation to conquer Gaza City and other areas where Israel has not yet gained full control. The plan was approved by the security cabinet earlier this week.
"Israel is determined to defeat Hamas in Gaza, free all the hostages and bring the war to an end," Katz said in a statement issued on his behalf.
"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is mobilizing all its forces and preparing with great force to implement the cabinet's decision. We will act as one fist until the mission is complete," he added.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Thursday urged Israel to drop plans to advance settlement construction in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, warning the move would violate international law and irreparably damage prospects for a two-state solution.
"If implemented, settlement construction in this area will permanently cut the geographical and territorial contiguity between occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank and sever the connection between the northern and southern West Bank," Kallas said in a statement.
She said Israel's settlement policy, including demolitions, forced transfers, evictions and home confiscations, must end, adding that such measures, along with settler violence and military operations, were fuelling tensions and eroding the possibility of peace.
The EU "urges Israel to desist from taking this decision forward, noting its far-reaching implications and the need to consider action to protect the viability of the two-state solution," Kallas said.
The E1 area, a stretch of land east of Jerusalem between the city and the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, is regarded as especially contentious because construction there would effectively cut off East Jerusalem from the northern West Bank. Plans for building in the area have been frozen for years, largely due to international opposition.
As Israeli forces continued their assault in Gaza, local health authorities said Thursday that at least 50 people were killed throughout the enclave over the past 24 hours and 831 wounded, including 22 killed while trying to get food at aid centers.
ALSO READ: Israeli army okays Gaza attack framework, kills 41 amid condemnation
Meanwhile, Egypt on Thursday condemned Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's approval of plans to build 3,401 new housing units for settlers in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the move reflected the Israeli government's determination to expand its seizure of Palestinian land and alter the demographic character of the occupied territories.
It called the decision a "blatant violation and flagrant breach" of international law, relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and international conventions.
The ministry also condemned Smotrich's "extremist" remarks advocating the imposition of Israeli "sovereignty" and settlement expansion in the West Bank. Such statements, it said, are a fresh indication of Israeli "deviance and arrogance," and warned that actions of this nature will not bring security or stability to the region -- including Israel -- so long as the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people are ignored.
It cautioned Israel against being swayed by "delusional beliefs" about liquidating the Palestinian cause and realizing a so-called "Greater Israel," and reiterated that there is no alternative to implementing the two-state solution and establishing a Palestinian state in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions to achieve regional peace and security.
On Wednesday, Smotrich said he had approved the construction of 3,401 housing units for settlers in a particularly controversial area of the occupied West Bank.
Smotrich, leader of a pro-settler party in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition, said the move was also aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The homes would be built in the E1 area, a stretch of land east of Jerusalem between the city and the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. Construction there is considered especially contentious because it would effectively cut off East Jerusalem from the northern West Bank. Building plans in E1 have been frozen for years, largely due to international opposition.
Since October 2023, at least 61,776 people have been killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire, the authorities added. Four more people died of famine and malnutrition, bringing the total to 239, including 106 children.
