Indirect talks over a US-backed plan to end the war in Gaza moved into a second day in Sharm el-Sheikh on the event date, with mediators focusing first on the mechanics of a possible hostage-prisoner exchange. The supplied evidence says Palestinian and Egyptian officials described the opening round as centred on creating the conditions for a swap that could see all Israeli hostages released in return for Palestinian prisoners.
The negotiations are being carried out through shuttle diplomacy rather than face-to-face contact. Egyptian and Qatari officials are moving between the Israeli and Hamas delegations, while US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are among the prominent figures linked to the process. The talks are taking place under heavy political pressure because the proposal has been framed as a rare chance to stop the fighting after two years of war.
The evidence says Donald Trump has been urging speed and telling reporters he believes there is a strong chance of a deal. He said the first phase of the plan, which includes hostage release, should be completed within the week. A Palestinian official speaking to Reuters said the first session ended late on Monday and more talks would follow on Tuesday, while state-affiliated Al-Qahera News said the atmosphere was positive.
The plan itself remains only partly accepted. Hamas has agreed in principle to some of the proposals, but it has not answered key demands including disarmament and a pledge to play no future role in Gaza's governance. On Friday, Hamas said it would release all Israeli prisoners, living and dead, according to an exchange formula in Trump's proposal, if the right conditions were met. It also said it was willing to hand Gaza administration to a body of technocrats, but stopped short of endorsing the full 20-point plan.
On the Israeli side, the picture is also not settled. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated opposition to a Palestinian state, despite language in the plan leaving that possibility open. The supplied evidence says the plan would end fighting immediately, send aid into Gaza once agreed, and secure the release of 48 hostages, only 20 of whom are thought to be alive, in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans.
The talks are unfolding against a grim backdrop. The evidence cites figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry saying 67,160 people have been killed by Israeli military operations since the war began, including 18,000 children, and says 21 Palestinians were killed and 96 injured in the previous 24 hours. While such figures are not independently verifiable in the source packet, they help explain why the negotiations have become such a high-stakes test for the plan's sponsors and opponents alike.
