The first day of the peace talks between Israel and Hamas at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, concluded on a “positive” note, with the negotiators drawing up a roadmap for moving the negotiations forward.
Mediated by Egypt and Qatar, the talks marked the closest both sides had come to reaching an agreement since the conflict began two years earlier. Interestingly, the talks started a day before the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The discussions are based on US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which aims at getting the hostages back, ensuring a ceasefire, and securing a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The negotiations were held indirectly, underscoring the near-total lack of trust between the two parties. The Israeli delegation was led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. The Hamas delegation was headed by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya, whose presence was notable given Israel’s recent assassination attempts on members of his negotiating team in Doha just weeks before.
Monday’s talks followed a carefully structured mediation process. First, Egyptian and Qatari officials met with the Hamas delegation. Then, they held a separate session with the Israeli representatives. Later, the mediators held internal discussions to review the outcomes of both meetings. US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, were scheduled to join the negotiations at later stages, typically after the initial mediation rounds.
Trump expressed strong confidence in the process. He stated the talks had been very successful and were proceeding rapidly. According to him, technical teams were working only on clarifying final details, and Hamas was agreeing to very important issues. He predicted that the first phase could be completed within the week.
This sentiment was echoed by mediators. Egyptian media reported that the first day of discussions ended in a positive atmosphere. One Egyptian official involved in the talks said the parties had already agreed on most of the terms in the first phase, particularly those concerning the release of hostages and the establishment of a ceasefire.
The immediate goal is to secure the release of the remaining 48 Israeli hostages, around 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The Trump plan stipulates that these hostages must be freed within 72 hours of a finalised deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised expectations by saying he hoped to announce the release before the end of the Jewish holiday Sukkot on October 13. The families of the Israeli captives, desperate to see their loved ones return, sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee urging it to award Trump the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in seeking to end the war.
However, the ongoing reality of the war cast a shadow over the diplomatic efforts. Although Trump had ordered Israel to halt bombing Gaza to facilitate the hostage release, Israeli airstrikes continued on Monday morning. Smoke and explosions were seen across the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that Israeli attacks had killed at least 19 people in the 24 hours leading up to or during the talks. Israel maintained that it was largely adhering to Trump’s request, insisting the strikes were only defensive in nature. Nonetheless, since Trump’s announcement calling for a halt to bombing, 104 Palestinians have reportedly been killed.
Even as the release of hostages remains a central point of the current peace plan, logistics pose a major challenge. For Hamas, hostages are the most powerful bargaining chip, so there are doubts whether they will release them before there is some form of agreement on other contentious issues. Hamas officials also warned they may need more than 72 hours to locate the remains of hostages believed to be buried under rubble. Negotiators must still agree on which Palestinian prisoners will be freed, a process complicated by Israeli ultranationalists who are opposed to the release of high-profile figures like Marwan Barghouthi.
While Israel wants to destroy and disarm Hamas, the group has avoided addressing the issue directly in its official response to the Trump plan. Instead, Hamas has expressed expectations of playing a future role in a unified Palestinian political structure, an idea opposed by both Israel and the United States. Within Israel, far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition have threatened to resign if Hamas is allowed to continue operating after the hostage release.
Meanwhile, the Trump plan lacks a clear timeline for full Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas wants firm guarantees that the war has genuinely ended and that Israel will not violate the agreement. Their concerns are heightened by the ongoing Israeli strikes, even as negotiations unfold. The IDF Chief of Staff warned that Israeli forces must remain combat-ready in the event that political efforts collapse.
