Cairo: EgyPulse – News Desk
Hamas announced on Wednesday that lists of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners to be released during a potential Gaza ceasefire plan have been exchanged with the Israeli side. The movement’s remarks come as Egypt has been hosting intensive talks between Hamas and Israeli delegations since Monday, aimed at securing the release of all captives held by Hamas and ending the war in Gaza.
The war, which has continued for two years, killing 67,000 Palestinians, is facing a crucial turning point as Hamas and Israel have approved a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump for peace in Gaza. The two sides are working to finalize an agreement regarding the criteria of the release of Israeli captives, both living and dead, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the end of the war.
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff have joined the talks on Wednesday. Head of the General Intelligence Services Major General Hassan Rashad and his Turkish counterpart, Ibrahim Kalin, are expected to join, alongside Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top aide, Ron Dermer, will reportedly join as well. Taher Al-Nunu, media advisor to the head of Hamas’ political bureau, stated today that mediators are exerting significant efforts to clear hurdles that could delay the implementation of a ceasefire.
He added that there is “a spirit of optimism” prevailing among the parties involved. Al-Nunu stressed that the Hamas delegation has approached the negotiations with a spirit of positivity and responsibility, aiming to achieve meaningful progress and finalize the agreement.
He noted that the negotiations have concentrated on mechanisms to ensure the end of the war, the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and arrangements for a comprehensive exchange of prisoners. Senior US officials told Axios that Witkoff and Kushner will not leave Egypt until an agreement is reached.
Hamas leader and head of the negotiating delegation Khalil Al-Hayya told Al Qahera News on Tuesday that their “immediate” objectives include ending the war, ensuring the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and arranging the exchange of all Israeli captives, living and deceased, for Palestinian prisoners, in line with Trump’s plan.
Al-Hayya emphasized that the agreement must include binding assurances that hostilities will cease permanently. A source within Hamas told Qatar’s Al Jazeera that the movement insists that Israeli troops fully withdraw from Gaza as soon as the final captive is released. Hamas and other armed factions still hold around 48 captives out of 251 they took from Israel into Gaza on 7 October 2023.
Most of those released were freed through swap deals mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, while only a handful were recovered in Israeli military raids, including eight alive and 41 bodies. One US official asserted that while Israel has successfully applied pressure on Hamas through the military operations, Netanyahu “must understand that the time for a deal has come.”
Israel is facing allegations of committing a genocide in Gaza, as per a UN report released in September. Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have killed 67,173 Palestinians and injured nearly 170,000 more, according to the enclave’s health ministry. The war has plunged the enclave into a widespread famine confirmed by the UN. The ministry has reported 460 deaths due to famine and acute malnutrition to date, including 154 children.
