Sharm-El Sheikh, Oct 8 (UNI) US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff and White House advisor Jared Kushner, son-in-law to President Donald Trump, arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to take part in negotiations aimed at advancing Trump's 20-point plan to free hostages and end the war in Gaza.
Their arrival marks a significant escalation in Washington's direct involvement in the talks.
The two US officials joined a roster of high-level individuals which includes Hamas leaders Taher al-Nunu and Khalil al-Hayya, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister and Netanyahu confidant Ron Dermer, Turkish spymaster Ibrahim Kalin, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, as per Times of Israel.
The mediations are also joined by representatives of the smaller Palestinian terror outfits, such as the Islamic Jihad Council, and members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Amid their arrival, Hamas submitted a list of the Palestinian prisoners it wants released in exchange for the 48 hostages still held in Gaza.
A statement from al-Nunu, also the terror group's spokesperson, described the talks as "positive," noting that "a spirit of optimism prevails among all parties."
He confirmed that lists of prisoners and hostages had been exchanged, and that mediators were working "to remove any obstacles to implementing the ceasefire."
Negotiations, which began Monday, are centred on Trump's proposal, and calls for the total release of all Israeli hostages within the first 72 hours of the plan's implementation, threatening Hamas' total destruction should it refuse.
Currently, terror groups in Gaza are holding 48 hostages, including 47 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. At least 26 of the captives are confirmed dead by the IDF, while 20 are believed to be alive, with grave concerns over their safety. This was notably more so for two living hostages, said to be in bad shape. Among the bodies held by Hamas is an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.
A Palestinian source close to the Hamas' negotiating team said Tuesday's session on a more positive note, saw the Islamic terror group discussing "the initial maps presented by the Israeli side regarding the withdrawal of troops as well as the mechanism and timetable for the hostage-prisoner exchange."
While, Jerusalem has expressed openness to releasing some of the terror group's senior officials and fighters, it has refused its repeated demands for freeing others convicted for organising and partaking in massacres of Israeli civilians.
The plan has thus invited a share of scepticism, due to its demands for the total disarming of Hamas, and asking it cede the Strip to an international force for security of the war-torn enclave amid a gradual IDF withdrawal.
Despite unresolved divisions over disarmament and withdrawal, Jerusalem, Washington, and mediators in Cairo and Doha have expressed cautious optimism, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had publicly accepted Trump's framework, while Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi said he received "very encouraging" messages from mediators.
Speaking at a police graduation ceremony in Cairo, Sissi urged Trump to "continue working to end the war" and invited him to Egypt to personally sign a Gaza agreement if one is reached.
"A ceasefire, the return of prisoners and detainees, the reconstruction of Gaza, and the launch of a political process leading to the establishment and recognition of a Palestinian state means we are on the right path to lasting peace and stability," Sissi remarked. UNI ANV SS