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

Conflict zone News Agency
Israeli forces continue military actions in Gaza City for an extended period.

Indirect talks focused on achieving a comprehensive deal on a Trump administration initiative to halt hostilities in Gaza have started in the Egyptian city of the Egyptian resort town.

Middle Eastern and regional officials have indicated that the meetings are concentrating on "establishing the groundwork" for a anticipated transfer that would see the release of all Israeli hostages in compensation of a number of incarcerated individuals.

The group stated it accepts the negotiation framework in part, but has failed to address several essential conditions - including its disarmament and political participation in Gaza.

Israel's prime minister said on the weekend that he anticipated declaring the release of captives "shortly"

Conflict Timeline

The negotiations, which will feature regional and international officials holding shuttle meetings with teams from both Israel and Hamas individually, come on the eve of the 24-month point of the armed assault on border communities on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were fatally wounded and 251 others were seized.

The armed forces launched a campaign in Gaza in response. Since then, approximately 67,160 have been lost their lives by defense force actions in Gaza, as reported by the territory's medical administration.

Proposal Framework

The detailed initiative, which has been approved by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outlines an immediate end to fighting and the release of 48 hostages, only 20 individuals are believed to be living, in compensation of hundreds of detained Gazans.

The plan stipulates that once both sides agree to the initiative "complete assistance will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip"

It also declares that the militant group would have no role in administering the territory, and it leaves the door open an future Palestinian sovereignty.

Latest Updates

On Friday, officials replied to the plan in a declaration, in which the group agreed "to free all detainees, both living and dead, in accordance with the swap arrangement specified by the US initiative" - if the proper conditions for the swaps are met.

It did not specifically mention or accept Trump's 20-point plan but said it "reaffirms its commitment to transfer the governance of the Gaza Strip to a governing council of independents, based on regional unity and Arab and Islamic support"

The announcement made no mention of one of the essential conditions of the initiative – that the organization accept its military demobilization and to having no future involvement in the administration of Gaza.

International Response

Gaza inhabitants described the group's reaction to the peace plan as surprising, after days of signals that the group was preparing to reject or at least heavily condition its endorsement of the US framework.

Alternatively, the militant group excluded its customary boundaries in the public announcement, a move many interpret as a sign of outside forces.

Global and local leaders have supported the proposal. The local administration, which administers sections of the disputed regions, has characterized the US president's efforts as "genuine and committed"

The Persian nation - which has been one of the organization's key backers for many years - has also recently indicated its endorsement of the US proposal.

Current Situation

Armed attacks continued in various locations of the Palestinian territory on Monday before the negotiations starting.

Israel is carrying out an military operation in the city, which it has said is intended to achieving the liberation of the remaining hostages.

An official representative, speaking for the territory's Hamas-run civil defence, stated that "humanitarian convoys have been allowed into Gaza City since the campaign commenced one month prior"

"Remains persist we cannot access from zones under defense force authority" he said.

Countless residents of the metropolitan area have been forced to flee after the defense forces mandated relocations to a designated "humanitarian area" in the south, but further countless people are thought to have stayed.

Israel's defence minister has admonished that those who stay during the combat campaign would be "combatants and their sympathizers"

In the previous day, 21 Palestinians have been lost their lives in Gaza and a additional 96 wounded, the local medical authorities said in its most recent report.

Global media representatives have been restricted by Israel from accessing the Palestinian territory autonomously since the beginning of the war, making authenticating statements from all parties difficult.

Suzanne Obrien
Suzanne Obrien

A passionate music journalist and critic with a deep love for Canadian artists and indie music culture.