Hamas, Israel, and U.S. Delegations Meet in Egypt for Crucial Gaza Peace Talks

Delegations from Hamas, Israel, and the United States are expected to convene in Egypt on Monday for high-stakes negotiations aimed at ending nearly two years of conflict in Gaza. The talks, taking place in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, mark the most significant diplomatic effort yet to secure a ceasefire since hostilities erupted in October 2023.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has positioned himself as the chief mediator, has called on all parties to “move fast” to secure a lasting peace. Optimism is cautiously rising as both Hamas and Israel have responded positively to Trump’s proposed truce and hostage-prisoner exchange framework. According to Naija News, the U.S. president shared an update on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, confirming that he had held extensive discussions with Hamas representatives and “allies around the world,” including leaders of several Arab and Muslim nations. “I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST,” Trump wrote, signaling urgency to finalize the initial terms of the peace process.

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Under the plan’s first phase, Hamas would release 47 Israeli hostages currently held in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel. A senior Hamas official confirmed to AFP that the group’s negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, held preliminary meetings with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Monday morning. These preparatory discussions are expected to set the stage for the main session in Sharm El-Sheikh, which aims to determine the timing and conditions of a temporary ceasefire. “The talks will focus on establishing a date for a truce,” the Hamas source said, describing it as the “first step” toward implementing Trump’s broader peace roadmap. According to the proposal, Israel would release approximately 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 detainees arrested during the ongoing war. The White House has confirmed that President Trump dispatched his son-in-law and former senior adviser Jared Kushner, alongside Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff, to participate in the Egypt meeting. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged both sides to exercise restraint and de-escalate violence to create an enabling environment for the talks. “You can’t release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop,” Rubio told CBS News on Sunday, stressing that humanitarian access and calm must precede any deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that an Israeli delegation would travel to Egypt for the talks, expressing optimism that the hostages could be released “within days.” “Our goal is clear — to bring our people home,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement. The meeting comes just a day before the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. Since then, Israel’s retaliatory campaign has claimed at least 67,139 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry — figures the United Nations has described as credible.

According to Palestinian sources close to Hamas, the group has demanded that any agreement must begin with a complete halt to Israeli military operations across all parts of Gaza. The group also insists on an end to airstrikes, reconnaissance flights, and drone surveillance, as well as a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza City. “In return, Hamas will also halt its military operations,” the source told AFP, emphasizing that the group’s acceptance of any truce hinges on Israel’s willingness to cease hostilities. Despite preparations for talks, reports indicated that Israeli airstrikes continued overnight. AFPTV footage captured thick plumes of smoke rising over Gaza’s skyline on Sunday, while the Gaza Civil Defence Agency confirmed that at least 20 people were killed in overnight bombardments, including 13 in Gaza City.

Trump’s peace initiative — which Israeli leaders have described as “radical but necessary” — calls for an immediate end to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, and a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. It also demands Hamas’s full disarmament, a condition the militant group has repeatedly rejected, labeling it a “red line.” The plan further envisions a post-war Gaza administered by a technocratic government under an international transitional authority chaired by Trump himself. This arrangement would remove Hamas and other militant factions from political governance, paving the way for a new administrative structure focused on reconstruction and security. On the streets of Gaza, civilians expressed cautious hope that the U.S.-brokered negotiations might finally lead to relief after months of relentless warfare. “We hope Trump will pressure Netanyahu and force him to stop the war,” said Ahmad Barbakh, a resident of Al-Mawasi. “We want the prisoner exchange deal to be completed quickly so that Israel has no excuse to continue the fighting.” However, Israeli military officials have warned that if the Cairo talks fail to produce concrete results, military operations will resume immediately.

“Operational conditions have changed, but our resolve remains firm,” said Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, Israel’s Chief of Staff. The Gaza Civil Defence Agency reported that artillery and airstrikes resumed late Sunday in Khan Yunis and parts of Gaza City, although residents said the intensity had slightly decreased. “There has been a noticeable reduction in the number of airstrikes since last night,” said Muin Abu Rajab, a resident of Gaza City’s Al-Rimal neighborhood. “The tanks and military vehicles have pulled back a little, but we are still living in fear.”

As world leaders and diplomats watch the Cairo negotiations unfold, expectations remain high that this latest push, under Trump’s mediation, could bring a fragile yet historic pause to a war that has devastated both sides for nearly two years.