A Qatari delegation arrived in Israel from Larnaca, Cyprus on Saturday, Israeli media reported, amid reported talks with Israeli security establishment officials to discuss a possible extension of the four-day ceasefire with terror group Hamas.
The Qatari delegation also coordinated with Israeli officials to ensure the truce, as well as the hostage releases, continues smoothly, a Qatari official told Reuters.
The plane, which landed at Ben-Gurion Airport at about 11:00 a.m., was in Israel for about an hour, according to N12. The plane belonged to Qatar’s flag carrier Qatar Airways. The plane was reportedly small, only having enough room for eight passengers, N12 reported, and took off from Doha on Saturday morning.
The plane had stopped in Larnaca on Cyprus’s southeastern coast in order to avoid the precedent of a direct flight from the Qatari capital to Tel Aviv.
The plane stayed in Israel for only a short time and then took off from Tel Aviv back to Larnaca.
Unusual landing
The unusual landing took place amidst the second day of the temporary ceasefire and the second wave of the release of hostages currently in Gaza. Mossad head David Barnea Maj.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon visited Doha during the war to discuss the hostage release deal with the Prime Minister and other Qatari officials.
After the landing, the Qatari Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson told French media outlet France 24: “We hope that the current agreement will help create momentum for future and ongoing agreements… but the road is still long. We hope that after the four days, we can sign a second agreement that will extend the ceasefire.”
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