CAIRO: Hamas and Israeli delegations began indirect talks in Egypt on Monday aimed at ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza.
US President Donald Trump assessed that the Palestinian militant group appeared ready to compromise regarding his proposed peace agreement.
Al-Qahera News, which maintains connections to Egyptian state intelligence, reported that the initial round concluded positively and would resume on Tuesday.
Negotiators communicated through mediators who shuttled between separate rooms under strict security measures.
These discussions occur just weeks after Israel attempted to assassinate Hamas’s lead negotiators in a strike on Qatar.
Al-Qahera News indicated that delegations were establishing conditions for prisoner and detainee releases.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators worked with both sides to create a mechanism for exchanging hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Trump expressed confidence about reaching a peace agreement during remarks at the White House.
He stated that Hamas had been agreeing to important elements and believed a deal was achievable.
Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who survived last month’s Israeli attack in Doha, met with Egyptian intelligence officials before the talks.
This negotiation round began just before the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the conflict.
A Palestinian source close to Hamas leadership anticipated the talks could extend for several days.
He predicted difficult and complex negotiations given Israel’s perceived intentions to continue military operations.
Trump urged negotiators to move quickly toward ending the Gaza war as his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner prepared to travel to Egypt.
Israeli airstrikes continued in Gaza on Monday despite the ongoing peace efforts.
Gaza’s civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal reported at least seven Palestinian deaths from the latest Israeli air strikes.
AFP footage showed explosions across the Gaza Strip with smoke rising above the skyline.
Both Hamas and Israel responded positively to Trump’s proposal but face significant challenges in finalizing details.
The plan requires Hamas to disarm, which the militant group appears unlikely to accept completely.
It also outlines gradual Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to maintain forces deep inside the territory.
The Palestinian source indicated that initial hostage-prisoner exchanges would require several days depending on Israeli withdrawals and cessation of bombardment.
Negotiations will determine dates for a temporary truce and establish conditions for the plan’s first phase.
This initial phase involves releasing 47 hostages from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed readiness to assist with hostage returns and facilitate aid access across Gaza.
Mohammed Abu Sultan, who fled Gaza City with twenty family members, described the devastating impact of two years of conflict.
He expressed how the war destroyed everything he built throughout his life.
A Palestinian source close to Hamas stated the group would halt military operations if Israel stopped bombardment and withdrew from Gaza City.
Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir warned that failed negotiations would trigger resumed fighting in Gaza.
Militants seized 251 hostages during their October 7 attack, with 47 remaining in Gaza including 25 confirmed dead by Israeli authorities.
Trump’s plan proposes Israel release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences plus over 1,700 detainees taken during the war.
Hamas insists on participating in Gaza’s future governance despite Trump’s roadmap excluding militant factions from administrative roles.
The proposal assigns territory administration to a technocratic body overseen by a transitional authority headed by Trump himself.
Gaza resident Ahmad Barbakh expressed hope that Trump would pressure Netanyahu to stop the war completely.
He emphasized the urgency of completing prisoner exchanges to eliminate Israeli excuses for continuing hostilities.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack killed 1,219 people according to AFP tallies of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 67,160 Palestinians according to Gaza’s health ministry statistics deemed reliable by the United Nations. – AFP