Hamas on Wednesday said it had exchanged a list of the names of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released under a swap deal and voiced optimism about talks in Egypt on US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. Negotiations are focused on “the mechanisms to halt the conflict, withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the swap deal,” the Palestinian militant group said, news agency Reuters reported. A Palestinian source close to the talks as quoted by Reuters, said the timing of the implementation of the first phase of Trump’s 20-point peace initiative had “not been agreed so far” during negotiations in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Trump on Tuesday marked the second anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel — which triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza — by expressing optimism about progress toward a deal. A US team including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who served as Middle East envoy during Trump’s first term, also flew to take part in the talks over what officials describe as the plan that has come closest to silencing the guns. But officials on all sides urged caution over the prospects for a rapid agreement. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer — a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — was due to join the talks on Wednesday afternoon, an Israeli official said, Reuters reported. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, a key mediator, and Turkish spymaster Ibrahim Kalin are also participating in the ceasefire negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, according to Reuters, which cited sources familiar with the matter. Hamas has demanded a permanent, comprehensive ceasefire, a complete pullout of Israeli forces, and the immediate start of a reconstruction process under a Palestinian “national technocratic body.” Israel, meanwhile, wants Hamas to disarm — a condition the group rejects. US officials have indicated that talks are initially focusing on a halt to the fighting and the logistics of how Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian detainees in Israel would be freed. In the absence of a ceasefire, Israel has pressed on with its offensive in Gaza, deepening its international isolation. Global outrage has mounted over Israel’s assault, which has displaced nearly Gaza’s entire population and triggered a starvation crisis. Multiple rights experts, scholars, and a UN inquiry have said it amounts to genocide — a charge Israel denies, calling its actions self-defense after the 2023 Hamas attack. According to Gaza authorities, about 67,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive. The October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas left 1,200 people dead and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. (With Inputs from Reuters)
