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Hamas and Egypt voiced new optimism Wednesday as President Donald Trump’s envoy and key mediators joined talks to end Israel’s war in Gaza.
“A spirit of optimism prevails among all,” the militant group said after it submitted a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for Israeli hostages under the U.S. plan.
The release of those still held in Gaza and 1,950 Palestinian prisoners are crucial parts of Trump’s 20-point proposal.
Israel has not yet commented on the Hamas statement.
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, who is hosting the talks in the Sharm el-Sheikh resort, said the messages he had received were also “very encouraging.”
The arrival of Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner at the third day of talks — along with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani — comes after Israel and the Palestinians marked the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks and the devastating conflict that followed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not comment on the status of the talks, but told Israelis on Tuesday that they were in “fateful days of decision.”
Trump expressed optimism about the talks, telling reporters in Washington there was “a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East.”
Qatar wants international guarantees, led by the U.S., that what is negotiated in Egypt will lead to Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, the entry of more aid, and a permanent end to the war, foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told Saudi Arabian news channel al-Hadath on Tuesday.
Wednesday “will undoubtedly be a pivotal day in determining these details,” he said.
But Israel’s far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Netanyahu to pursue “complete victory” over Hamas in Gaza, in a video posted on X that was filmed by the mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
Another video showed him praying at the compound, his latest challenge to a decades-old understanding allowing only Muslim worship at the site.
Israel has continued its assault on Gaza while the talks have been taking place. Its military campaign has killed more than 67,000 people, reducing much of the enclave to rubble following the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages.
There were somber gatherings across Israel on Tuesday to mark the attacks, including in the country’s south where families and friends paid respects to the more than 370 victims killed at the Nova music festival.
Palestinians, meanwhile, reflected on two years of brutal conflict and their hopes for an end to the devastation.
Alaa Abu Daraz and her children left their home in eastern Gaza on October 7, and two years later they are yet to return, living on the streets as they seek safety.
“Our children are left in the streets, with no tent, no shelter, not even a blanket,” she told NBC News this week. “We managed through the summer and survived the heat, but the winter is unbearable; one cannot live or do anything in these conditions.”
Israel has faced mounting global isolation over its assault.
A new aid flotilla bound for Gaza that included a number of Americans was intercepted by the Israeli army Wednesday, days after the detention of activists on board a high-profile flotilla fueled international outrage.
Eight U.S. citizens were “likely abducted” by Israeli forces while on international waters, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Wednesday.
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Freddie Clayton
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