The Washington Post claims: Mossad planned a ground operation against Hamas leaders in Qatar.
According to the Palestinian news agency Ma’a, Israeli sources told The Washington Post that Mossad chief David Barnia objected to the plan, citing concerns that the assassination would damage relations between Mossad and the Qataris.
The Washington Post also noted that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zetmir objected to the timing of the attack, as well as the fact that Major General Nitzan Allon, who was in charge of the prisoners’ case, was not invited to the talks to approve the plan.
The official statements announcing the attack in Qatar did not mention the Mossad by name, but described the attack as one carried out by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet (Israeli internal security service).
The Washington Post claimed that this was because the intelligence service refused to implement a plan developed in recent weeks to use field agents to assassinate Hamas leaders, which, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the details, had been carried out.
The Washington Post claimed that the reason for this, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the details, was the Mossad’s opposition to carrying out a plan that had been drawn up in recent weeks that involved using field agents to assassinate Hamas leaders.
An Israeli source told the Washington Post: “We can get to them (Hamas leaders) in a year or two or four, and Mossad knows how to do it, so why do it now?”
The Washington Post report referred to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau in Tehran, about a year ago, using a bomb planted in his bedroom.
A source familiar with the details said that the Mossad was not prepared to carry out a field operation this time, adding that the Mossad saw Qatar as an important mediator in the negotiations with Hamas.
“Barnia is known as someone who values Qatari mediation and believes that the Qatari mediators or the mediation channel cannot be eliminated,” said David Makoskey, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute.
In addition to Barnia, the IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who had urged Netanyahu to accept the ceasefire deal, opposed the timing of the attack for fear of damaging the talks, while Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz agreed.
According to the report, Major General Nitzan Alon was not invited to the meeting because senior commanders thought he would express opposition to an attack that could endanger the lives of hostages.