U.S. Envoys to Join Egypt Peace Talks as Israel-Hamas Negotiations Resume
Indirect peace talks between Israel and Hamas resumed today with the expected arrival of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Egypt on Wednesday, as efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release intensify.
The negotiations, taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, are centered around a plan proposed by former President Donald Trump last week aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Egypt and Qatar are mediating between the two sides, with senior officials from the U.S., Qatar, and Turkey also participating. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed that members of the U.S. delegation would join the talks Wednesday. Hamas is reportedly demanding guarantees that Israel will not resume hostilities after the release of the remaining 48 hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attack, of whom Israel believes 20 are still alive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the war will conclude only with the return of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Israel. He has accepted Trump’s plan, which envisions international governance of Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas – conditions Hamas leaders have yet to agree to. The proposed plan includes an Israeli troop withdrawal and the establishment of an international security force, overseen by Trump and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair. This conflict began after a devastating attack on Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 abductions, sparking a war that has had a profound impact on the region.
Hamas reiterated its demands for a lasting ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza on Tuesday, but did not address the issue of disarmament. The war has resulted in at least 67,160 Palestinian deaths and nearly 170,000 injuries, according to the Gaza health ministry. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as a “humanitarian catastrophe.” For more information on the ongoing humanitarian crisis, see the United Nations’ official page on the Gaza crisis. The Trump plan aims to address the dire humanitarian situation by surging aid into Gaza, where over 2 million Palestinians face hunger and famine.
Officials say Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani will also join the negotiations Wednesday, and that talks yesterday lasted around four hours. The U.S. delegation is on hand to take part in the talks, according to White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
