CAIRO (AP) – Israel and Hamas have entered their third day of conflict. peace negotiations Wednesday’s meeting at an Egyptian resort is also expected to include more senior officials from the United States, Israel and mediating countries, a sign that negotiators are aiming to tackle the two countries’ most difficult issues. America’s plan to end the war in Gaza.
Hamas said it was seeking firm guarantees from US President Donald Trump and mediators that Israel would not resume military operations in the Palestinian territories after the extremist group freed all remaining hostages.
Both sides express optimism about ending the deal two years 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 finalized. These include requirements for the disarmament of Hamas, the timing and scale of Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, and the establishment of an international organization to manage Gaza once Hamas is removed from power.
Qatari Prime Minister and top diplomat Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was on his way to the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh to take part in the talks.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were also scheduled to attend on Wednesday, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak to reporters because the trip had not yet been formally announced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top adviser Ron Dermer was also scheduled to attend, an Israeli official said 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 Nounou said Hamas had exchanged a list of Palestinian prisoners it wanted to release in exchange for Israeli hostages under the terms of the agreement.
Trump’s peace plan
The plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and the release of 48 hostages still held by Gaza militants from the October 7, 2023 Israeli surprise attack that started the war and triggered devastating Israeli retaliation. It is believed that about 20 of the hostages are still alive.
It envisions Israel withdrawing its troops from Gaza after Hamas is disarmed and international security forces are deployed. The territory will be placed under international control by President Trump and former presidents. British Prime Minister Tony Blair supervising it.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in televised comments Wednesday that negotiations so far have been “very encouraging.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu accepted President Trump’s plan. The prime minister’s office said on Tuesday that Israel was “cautiously optimistic” and characterized the talks as technical negotiations based on a plan already approved by both sides.
In a statement Tuesday, Hamas reiterated long-standing demands for a permanent ceasefire and Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, but made no mention of disarmament, which it has long resisted. Hamas also opposes the idea of international governance, but agrees that international governance has no role in governing Gaza in the post-war period.
Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil al-Khayya told Egypt’s Kahera TV in Sharm el-Sheikh that Hamas wants firm guarantees from Trump and mediators that war will “not happen again.” This is believed to be his first public appearance since the Israeli attack. Target him and other top Hamas leaders Six people were killed in Qatar last month, including his son and office manager.
In January, the two countries signed a ceasefire in which some Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Under the agreement, which Mr. Trump and Mr. Witkoff played key roles in brokering, the two countries would enter into negotiations for a long-term ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and the complete release of hostages.
But Israel broke the ceasefire in March and resumed shelling and attacks, saying it was aimed at pressuring Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
Previous negotiations have often collapsed over the same hurdles, with Hamas demanding guarantees to end the war and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to keep fighting until the organization is destroyed. The Trump plan seeks to solve all problems at once by presenting a post-war scenario for the disarmament of Hamas and territorial control with provisions for a large-scale reconstruction campaign.
pray for a successful deal
In a Hamas-led attack two years ago, militants swept into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. Most of the hostages have since been released through ceasefires and other agreements.
The number of experts including them continues to increase. commissioned by a United Nations agencysaid Israel’s attacks in Gaza amounted to genocide, an accusation Israel denies. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 170,000 injured in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but says about half of the dead were women and children, part of the government run by Hamas. The United Nations and many independent experts consider that figure to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
In the Gaza Strip, Most of the territory is in ruinsPalestinians are desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands of people fleeing recent Israeli ground attacks in northern Gaza and Gaza City have set up makeshift tents along the coast in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.
Umm Sulaiman Abu Afash, a woman evacuated from Gaza City, said: “There is no food, no good water, and intersections are blocked.” “Children are sleeping on the streets. We are buying drinking water. Where are we going? There is no mercy.”
Sara Rehan, a displaced woman from Jabaliya, said she was praying for an end to the war. “I hope that we will return to our places and homes, even if we are homeless,” she said. “Our presence on our land is our greatest happiness.”
___
Follow AP’s war coverage. https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
