Hamas says ‘optimism prevails’ in Gaza talks with Israel
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In the absence of a ceasefire, Israel has pressed on with its offensive in Gaza.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – Hamas said on Oct 8 that it had exchanged a list of the names of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released under a swop deal, and that it was optimistic 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 swop deal, the Palestinian militant group added.
The timing of the implementation of the first phase of Mr Trump’s 20-point initiative
The plan includes a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, Hamas’ disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Mr Trump expressed optimism about progress towards a deal on Oct 7, the second anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel that triggered Israel’s assault on Gaza.
A US team including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law who served as Middle East envoy during the President’s first term, will take part in the talks over a 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 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s close confidant – was due to join the talks on the afternoon of Oct 8, according to an Israeli official.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, a key mediator, was also set to take part in the ceasefire negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh on Oct 8, sources familiar with the matter said.
Another participant will be Turkish spymaster Ibrahim Kalin, pointing to a growing role for Turkey, a powerful Nato member that has close contacts with Hamas, but which Israel has not previously viewed as a mediator. A Turkish security source said Mr Kalin had consulted with US, Egyptian and Hamas officials.
Erdogan says Trump asked Turkey to help persuade Hamas
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that Mr Trump had asked Turkey to help convince Hamas to support his plan, and that Turkey was discussing with the group the best approach for the future of a Palestinian state.
Gaza must remain part of a Palestinian state in any post-war scenario and it must be governed by Palestinians, Mr Erdogan said. He added that the deployment of foreign forces to Gaza and ensuring security there should be discussed in detail, and Ankara was ready to contribute to all efforts.
Mr Trump’s plan calls for an international body led by the US President himself and including former British prime minister Tony Blair to play a role in Gaza’s post-war administration. Arab countries that back the plan say it must lead to eventual independence for a Palestinian state, which Mr Netanyahu says will never happen.
Hamas wants a permanent, comprehensive ceasefire, a complete pull-out of Israeli forces and the immediate start of a comprehensive reconstruction process under the supervision of a Palestinian “national technocratic body”.
Israel, for its part, wants Hamas to disarm, which the group rejects.
US officials suggest they want to initially focus talks on a halt to the fighting and the logistics of how the 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, increasing its international isolation.
Global outrage has mounted against Israel’s assault, which has internally displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza and set off a starvation crisis. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defence after the 2023 Hamas attack.
According to the Gaza authorities, some 67,000 people have been killed in Israel’s assault. It followed the Oct 7, 2023, attack by Hamas,
