Key US And Regional Mediators Join Talks In Push To End Gaza War
Top US envoys and regional figures are taking part in the third day of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt on President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.
Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday, along with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Turkey’s intelligence chief, for what is expected to be a key day, indicating whether progress can be made.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC it had shown “the necessary positivity” in the negotiations and submitted a list of the Palestinian prisoners it wanted Israel to release in exchange for the hostages held in Gaza.
Israeli media cited officials as saying there was “cautious optimism”.
Trump also struck a positive tone, saying: “There’s a real chance that we could do something.”
The first two days of the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have focused on mechanisms for ending the two-year-long war in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory, and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza.
The presence of heavyweight negotiators is hoped to add momentum to the deal.
Witkoff and Kushner, who served as Trump’s Middle East adviser during his first term, flew into Sharm el-Sheikh early on Wednesday.
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi called their arrival “very encouraging”, saying they came “with a strong will, a strong message, and a strong mandate from President Trump to end the war in this round of negotiations”.
Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the Director of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation, Ibrahim Kalin, also joined the talks on Wednesday.
And Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly arrived in the afternoon to lead the Israeli delegation.
Representatives from two other Palestinian armed groups, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), were also present.
This appears to be an attempt by Hamas to keep them in line and secure the release of the hostages they are believed to be holding.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC on Wednesday morning that its delegation had submitted a list of the Palestinian prisoners it wanted Israel to release in exchange for the 48 hostages still held in Gaza, up to 20 of whom are still alive.
The list included several of the most prominent Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat.
The Hamas official who spoke to the BBC said the group had “shown the necessary positivity and responsibility to achieve the required progress and complete the agreement”, but acknowledged that differences remained between the two sides.
“Mediators are making major efforts to remove any obstacles to implementing a ceasefire,” he added, noting that “a spirit of optimism is spreading among all participants.”
However, a Palestinian official familiar with talks told the BBC that there were “deep gaps” over how Hamas and Israel interpreted Trump’s 20-point peace plan.