Delegations from Israel and Hamas have been holding indirect negotiations over the past three days in Egypt, based on US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Trump’s plan demands Hamas release all hostages while Israel releases Palestinian prisoners, withdraws its forces within Gaza to agreed-upon lines following a timeline. Both Israel and Hamas have signaled willingness to work toward a deal.
Key issues are now being discussed between both parties. These include:
Hostage releases
Hamas has accepted one of the most important demands of the Trump plan: the release of all of the hostages at the start of the ceasefire. Hamas agreed to the “exchange formula” laid out in the plan: all 48 remaining hostages for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza detained after October 7.
The militant group has demanded the release of Marwan Barghouti – a prominent figure in the Palestinian national movement who is facing multiple life sentences in Israel – as part of a deal, a Hamas official told CNN today.
Hamas disarmament
Hamas’ response fails to address the issue of disarmament or the decommissioning of weaponry: a key condition of the Trump proposal and a demand of the international community. Hamas has repeatedly refused to disarm.
“Board of Peace”
Missing from Hamas’ latest response is any mention of the international oversight committee led by Trump, a “Board of Peace” that’s supposed to supervise the local Palestinian governance.
Gaza governance
Hamas also said it was willing to hand over power in Gaza to independent Palestinian technocrats, closely mirroring the language in the US plan.
Israeli guarantees
Hamas is demanding guarantees that Israel will stick to the deal, and guarantees of safe passage for senior figures leaving the territory. The latter is especially sensitive, after Israel launched a series of strikes targeting Hamas’ leadership in the Qatari capital of Doha.
