Hamas representatives and Israeli delegates start indirect discussions in Egypt on the US Gaza peace plan.

News Agency

Mediated discussions aimed at reaching a final agreement on a American ceasefire proposal to stop the conflict in Gaza have commenced in the mediation venue of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Palestinian and Egyptian officials have indicated that the meetings are focused on "establishing the groundwork" for a potential swap that would involve the release of all detained individuals in compensation of a group of Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas has said it consents to the ceasefire initiative to some extent, but has omitted reference to several key demands - particularly its weapons surrender and future role in Gaza.

The government official said on recently that he anticipated declaring the liberation of captives "shortly"

Historical Framework

The talks, which will see Egyptian and Qatari officials facilitating discussions with teams from both Israel and Hamas in isolation, occur on the eve of the two-year mark of the military operation on Israeli territories on October 7th, in which nearly 1,200 people were fatally wounded and 251 individuals were seized.

The defense forces began military actions in Gaza in countermeasure. Following the initial attack, 67,160 have been fatally injured by armed interventions in Gaza, based on data from the territory's local health authorities.

Proposal Framework

The comprehensive proposal, which has been approved by American leadership and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outlines an prompt cessation to hostilities and the freeing of 48 hostages, only 20 of whom are considered alive, in return for hundreds of detained Gazans.

The proposal specifies that once all involved agree to the proposal "complete assistance will be quickly dispatched into the conflict zone"

It also specifies that the militant group would have no participation in political leadership, and it allows for an independent Palestinian nation.

Recent Developments

On Friday, Hamas responded to the proposal in a declaration, in which the group consented "to liberate all Israeli prisoners, both alive and killed, following the transfer mechanism outlined in the American plan" - if the necessary circumstances for the transfers are met.

It did not specifically mention or approve the detailed initiative but said it "renews its agreement to hand over the management of the Gaza Strip to a governing council of technocrats, established through local agreement and international backing"

The declaration made no mention of one of the crucial requirements of the plan – that Hamas accept its military demobilization and to playing no further role in the leadership of Gaza.

Global Perspectives

Many Palestinians described Hamas' response to the negotiation initiative as surprising, after multiple days of signals that the organization was considering denial or at least heavily condition its approval of the US framework.

Alternatively, Hamas excluded its customary boundaries in the formal declaration, a action many view as a sign of external pressure.

International and regional officials have welcomed the plan. The local administration, which controls sections of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has called the US president's efforts as "sincere and determined"

The Islamic Republic - which has been one of the group's primary supporters for an extended period - has also currently expressed its backing of Trump's Gaza peace plan.

Ongoing Reality

Israeli bombardment carried on in various locations of the conflict zone on recently before the negotiations starting.

Defense personnel is carrying out an combat campaign in the urban area, which it has stated is designed to obtaining the liberation of the outstanding captives.

Mahmoud Basal, representing Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence, reported that "assistance vehicles have been authorized access for Gaza City since the campaign commenced four weeks ago"

"Victims remain we cannot access from areas under defense force authority" he said.

Hundreds of thousands of Gaza City have been required to leave after the armed services mandated relocations to a established protection region in the south, but further countless people are thought to have stayed.

The military official has cautioned that those who remain during the combat campaign would be "terrorists and supporters of terror"

In the previous day, 21 individuals have been fatally injured in Gaza and a further 96 injured, the local medical authorities said in its most recent report.

International journalists have been restricted by Israeli authorities from accessing the Palestinian territory independently since the start of the hostilities, making confirming reports from all parties difficult.