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©(Gil COHEN-MAGEN, AFP)
An Israeli delegation led by the head of the Mossad arrived in Paris on Friday to "unblock" talks for a ceasefire in Gaza, an Israeli official said.
The intelligence agency's director, David Barnea, will be joined in the French capital by his counterpart at the domestic Shin Bet security agency, Ronen Bar, Israeli media reported.
A week-long ceasefire at the end of November saw the release of more than 100 hostages taken by Hamas militants and 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
At the end of January, Barnea was in Paris with his US and Egyptian counterparts, as well as the prime minister of Qatar, to discuss a new pause in fighting.
A Hamas source confirmed the plan proposed a six-week pause in the conflict and the release of between 200 and 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 35 to 40 hostages still held by Hamas.
Since then, talks have also taken place in Egypt involving Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. He left Cairo on Thursday evening, the Palestinian militants said.
The talks focused in particular on an end to Israeli "aggression," the return of displaced people, and a prisoner exchange.
Hamas wants a complete ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the demands as "bizarre."
He has said his government is open to a pause in the fighting but has vowed to press on until "total victory" and the complete destruction of Hamas.
Netanyahu is also against the release of Palestinian prisoners who took part in Hamas' attacks against Israel.
While Haniyeh was in Cairo, US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk was in Israel, where he discussed an "extended pause" in the conflict "to get all of those hostages home," the White House said.
On the eve of the Paris talks, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant indicated that Israel would "extend the authority given to our hostage negotiators." He did not elaborate.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
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