Mossad Chief David Barnea will depart early next week for Doha to promote negotiations for the release of the hostages held in Gaza.

The Prime Minister's Office stated, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes Egypt's readiness to advance a deal for the release of the hostages."

"Pursuant to the meetings that were held in Cairo, the Prime Minister has directed the Director of the Mossad to leave for Doha and advance a series of initiatives that are on the agenda, with the backing of the members of the Security Cabinet."

The head of the CIA, the Qatari prime minister and the incoming head of the Egyptian intelligence agency will join Barnea at the talks. The Prime Minister's Office confirmed the report and said that the parties "will discuss the various options for starting negotiations for the release of the hostages from the captivity of Hamas, against the background of recent developments."

An Israeli official familiar with the talks said that there are questions remaining regarding Hamas, and that the organization insists on its demands for the release of major terrorists, the withdrawal of IDF forces, and an end to the war.

The Saudi Al-Hadath channel reported that a Russian delegation arrived in Israel today, to discuss the possibility of reaching a deal between Israel and Hamas. The Saudi report stated that Putin conveyed a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the war in Gaza and Lebanon should be brought to an end and called on him to respond to the peace initiatives that are on the agenda.

The deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouk, who is visiting Moscow, said that the terrorist organization is ready to "give priority to the release of two hostages with Russian citizenship who are in the Gaza Strip."