A former senior Mossad official, questioned under caution in connection with the "Qatar-Gate" affair, took part in hostage release negotiation team discussions at the start of the war, Kan 11 News reported Monday.
According to the report, members of the team - whose meetings were held in Israel - were unaware of the former official’s business connections with Qatar. In some of the sessions, he acted as the official Mossad representative, presenting the organization’s position.
The former official told a reporter that he had disclosed his ties to Qatar both to the Mossad and to the IDF’s representative on the team, Major General (Res.) Nitzan Alon.
However, Kan 11’s investigation found that Mossad was unaware of these connections, noting it is likely he would not have been allowed to serve as the organization’s representative had they known.
The former official took part in the team’s discussions for roughly two weeks - initially as the Mossad representative, and later as a consultant - before ending his participation.