Hamas Says It Handed over List of Israelis and Palestinians for Swap Deal
Hamas said on Wednesday it had exchanged a list of the names of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released under a swap deal and that it was optimistic about talks in Egypt on US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.
Negotiations, to be attended by senior foreign political and intelligence officials, are focused on the mechanisms to halt the conflict, withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the swap deal, the Palestinian group added.
One of the biggest sticking points will be pressure on Hamas to disarm, an issue it has so far been unwilling to discuss at the talks, according to a Palestinian source close to the negotiations.
The timing of the implementation of the first phase of President Donald Trump’s 20-point initiative has not been agreed so far during talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, the Palestinian source said.
Trump expressed optimism about progress toward a deal on Tuesday, the second anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel that triggered Israel’s assault on Gaza.
A US team including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who served as Middle East envoy during Trump’s first term, will take part in the talks over a plan that has come closest to silencing the guns.
But officials on all sides urged caution over the prospects for a rapid agreement.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s close confidant – was due to join the talks on Wednesday afternoon, according to an Israeli official.
