JERUSALEM, Aug  14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Israel's spy chiefs will attend talks
in Doha on Thursday seeking a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal after
more than 10 months of war, the prime minister's office said on Wednesday.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved the departure of the
Israeli delegation to Doha tomorrow, as well as the mandate for conducting the
negotiations," a statement said.

       The head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, and Shin Bet security
service chief Ronen Bar are part of the team, Netanyahu's spokesman Omer Dostri
told AFP.

       "The head of the Mossad, the head of the Shin Bet, Nitzan Alon and Ophir
Falk" make up the team, Dostri said. Alon coordinates issues related to
hostages, and Falk is a political adviser to Netanyahu.

       Palestinian militant group Hamas has not said whether it would send
negotiators to Doha.

       A Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that
"negotiations with the mediators are continuing and have even intensified in
recent hours".

       "Hamas wants the Biden plan imposed and doesn't want to negotiate just to
negotiate," the official said, referring a ceasefire proposal laid out in late
May by US President Joe Biden.

       "We have to force the (Israeli) occupation government to stop its policy,
which consists of dragging out the negotiations, and force it to stop
massacring our people."