Gaza Talks in Sharm El-Sheikh Yield Tangible Progress Toward Resolution

Peace talks in Sharm el-Sheikh between Hamas and Israel have made real progress, with Hamas agreeing to release Israeli hostages and return bodies according to President Trump's initiative. The breakthrough comes as negotiators work through detailed withdrawal maps and prisoner exchange lists, bringing cautious hope to all parties involved.

Hamas has fully accepted the hostage release plan and agreed to allow 600 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza daily, according to sources close to the negotiations. But the group wants American guarantees that Israel will permanently stop all military operations and withdraw completely from Gaza's cities.

The talks are now focusing on specific withdrawal maps for Israeli forces during the first phase of any agreement. Israeli negotiators, meanwhile, are pushing mediators to get Hamas to provide immediate information about hostage conditions and to deliver food and medicine to captives right away.

Egyptian and Qatari mediators held consultation sessions with the American delegation, led by Steve Witkoff, and the Israeli team, headed by Ron Dermer. They're working through Trump's plan to end the war and relaying Hamas's demands from morning sessions with the group's representatives.

The negotiations expanded Wednesday when Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine joined the talks at Hamas's request. The groups are now consulting on prisoner lists to present to mediators for the Israeli side.

Hamas announced it had exchanged lists of prisoners and hostages for potential release. "We exchanged prisoner lists according to agreed criteria and numbers," said Taher al-Nunu, media advisor to Hamas's political bureau chief, speaking from Sharm el-Sheikh. He noted that Hamas showed "the necessary positivity and responsibility to achieve required progress and complete the agreement."

Al-Nunu said mediators are working hard to remove obstacles to implementing a ceasefire, adding that "a spirit of optimism flows among everyone." The negotiations center on ending the war, withdrawing occupation forces from Gaza, and prisoner exchanges.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expressed hope that the Sharm el-Sheikh talks would produce an agreement bringing humanitarian aid and Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza. Speaking at a police academy graduation ceremony, he said he had received encouraging news about the negotiations.

Sisi praised Trump's strong will to end the war, noting that American envoys came "with strong will, message and mandate from President Trump to end the war during the current negotiation round." He urged all participants - Qatar, America, Israel, and Hamas - to seize this opportunity to make these talks the end of the war.

The Egyptian president emphasized global interest in ending the crisis, delivering aid to Gaza, releasing prisoners, and rebuilding the territory. He confirmed Egypt's commitment to achieving a two-state solution for Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank, saying such a solution would have much better chances if the war ends quickly and reconstruction begins.