CAIRO (AP) – Israel and Hamas enter their third day peace negotiations More senior officials from the United States, Israel and mediating countries are expected to take part at an Egyptian resort on Wednesday – a sign negotiators aim to tackle the toughest issues America’s plan to end the war in Gaza.
Hamas says it wants firm guarantees from US President Donald Trump and mediators that Israel will not resume its military campaign in the Palestinian territories after the extremist group releases all remaining hostages.
All sides express optimism for getting the deal done 2 years of wartens of thousands of Palestinians were killed, Most of the Gaza Strip was destroyed. However, important parts of the peace plan have not yet been fixed. These include requirements for Hamas to disarm, the timing and extent of Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, and the creation of an international body to run Gaza once Hamas is removed from power.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Diplomat Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullan Al Thani was heading to the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh to take part in talks.
Also expected Wednesday were Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.
Also participating from Israel will be Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
As mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States met with the two sides in preliminary talks on Wednesday morning, senior Hamas official Taher Nonow said the groups had exchanged a list of Palestinian prisoners they were willing to release in return for Israeli hostages under the terms of the deal.
trump’s peace plan
The plan calls for an immediate cease-fire and release of the 48 hostages whose Gaza militants have still started a war since a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, prompting devastating Israeli retaliation. It is believed that about 20 hostages are still alive.
Israel envisions withdrawing its troops from Gaza once Hamas is disarmed and an international security force is installed. The territory will be placed under international governance, with Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair supervise it.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi said in televised comments on Wednesday that negotiations so far have been “very encouraging.”
Netanyahu accepted Trump’s plan. His office said Tuesday that Israel was “cautiously optimistic” and framed the talks as technical negotiations on a plan that both sides had already approved.
In a statement on Tuesday, Hamas reiterated its longstanding demands for a permanent ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but said nothing about disarmament. Hamas also opposes the idea of international rules, but agrees it has no role in governing Gaza after the war.
Speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh, Hamas’ top negotiator Khalil al-Khayya told Egypt’s Qahera TV that the group hopes solid assurances from Trump and the mediator will “prevent war from returning.” It appeared to be his first public appearance since the Israeli strike. Target him and other top Hamas leaders Last month, he killed six people in Qatar, including his son and office manager.
In January, the two sides held a ceasefire that resulted in the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Under the agreement, which Trump and Witkoff played key roles in brokering, the two sides were to enter into negotiations over a long-term ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, and full hostage release.
However, Israel broke the ceasefire in March and resumed a campaign of shelling and attacks, which it said was aimed at pressuring Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
Past negotiations have often fallen apart over the same hurdles, with Hamas demanding guarantees for an end to the war and Netanyahu vowing to keep fighting until the group is destroyed. The Trump plan attempts to solve all problems at once by laying out a post-war scenario for disarmament of Hamas and governing the territory with provisions for a large-scale reconstruction campaign.
pray for a deal
In a Hamas-led offensive two years ago, the militants stormed into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, abducting 251 people, mostly civilians. Most hostages have since been released in cease-fires or other deals.
A growing number of experts include them Commissioned by United Nations Agencysays Israel’s attacks in Gaza amount to genocide, which Israel denies. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but says about half of the deaths were women and children, says it is part of the Hamas-run government. The United Nations and many independent experts consider that figure to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
Where is it located in the Gaza Strip Much of the territory is in ruinsPalestinians are desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands of people fleeing Israel’s latest ground offensive in northern Gaza and Gaza City have set up makeshift tents along beaches in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.
“There is no food, no good water, no clogged intersections,” said Umm Sulaiman Abu Afash, a displaced Gaza City refugee. “Our children sleep on the streets. We buy drinking water. Where do we go? There is no mercy.”
Sara Rehan, a displaced person from Jabariya, said she was praying for an end to the war. “Even if you don’t have a home, you want to go back to a place and a home,” she said. “Our existence on our land is our greatest happiness.”
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