Hamas and Israeli delegations started indirect negotiations on Monday in Sharm El-Sheikh to end the Gaza conflict that has lasted nearly two years. Egyptian and Qatari mediators shuttled between the parties to establish frameworks for exchanging hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. The talks began one day before the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war.
President Donald Trump pushed negotiators to accelerate progress after both sides responded positively to his peace proposal. The plan calls for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw forces from Gaza, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to redeploy troops while securing hostage releases. Trump stated on Truth Social that he expects the first phase to finish this week.
The initial exchange would involve 47 hostages returning from Gaza in return for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and more than 1,700 Gaza detainees. Hamas lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya survived a recent Israeli strike in Qatar before arriving for the discussions. Israeli strikes killed at least seven Palestinians on Monday as negotiations proceeded.
President Donald Trump pushed negotiators to accelerate progress after both sides responded positively to his peace proposal. The plan calls for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw forces from Gaza, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to redeploy troops while securing hostage releases. Trump stated on Truth Social that he expects the first phase to finish this week.
The initial exchange would involve 47 hostages returning from Gaza in return for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and more than 1,700 Gaza detainees. Hamas lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya survived a recent Israeli strike in Qatar before arriving for the discussions. Israeli strikes killed at least seven Palestinians on Monday as negotiations proceeded.
