Hamas representatives and Israeli delegates start indirect discussions in the Egyptian city on Trump's Gaza ceasefire initiative.

News Agency

Mediated discussions focused on achieving a lasting settlement on a US peace plan to halt hostilities in Gaza have started in the Red Sea resort of the Egyptian resort town.

Local and international officials have reported that the discussions are centered around "establishing the groundwork" for a possible exchange that would involve the liberation of all Israeli hostages in exchange for a number of detained Palestinians.

The group stated it consents to the ceasefire initiative in part, but has not responded to several key demands - including its disarmament and political participation in Gaza.

The government official said on the weekend that he hoped to announce the release of hostages "shortly"

Background Context

The talks, which will feature regional and international officials conducting mediation with teams from both Israel and Hamas individually, come on the approach of the two-year mark of the military operation on Israeli territories on October 7th, in which about 1,200 people were lost their lives and 251 others were taken hostage.

The armed forces launched a campaign in Gaza in retaliation. Following the initial attack, approximately 67,160 have been killed by defense force actions in Gaza, according to the region's Hamas-run health ministry.

Peace Plan Details

The comprehensive proposal, which has been endorsed by US President Donald Trump and Israeli officials, proposes an immediate end to fighting and the liberation of 48 captives, only 20 individuals are believed to be alive, in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans.

The plan stipulates that once the two parties accept the proposal "humanitarian support will be immediately sent into the Palestinian territory"

It also states that the militant group would have no participation in administering the territory, and it allows for an future Palestinian sovereignty.

Recent Developments

In the latest development, the group answered to the proposal in a declaration, in which the group consented "to liberate all captured individuals, both alive and killed, in accordance with the exchange formula contained in President Trump's proposal" - if the required situation for the exchanges are satisfied.

It failed to address or accept the comprehensive proposal but said it "restates its approval to hand over the management of the Gaza Strip to a local administration of independents, established through regional unity and Arab and Islamic support"

The statement omitted reference of one of the essential conditions of the proposal – that Hamas agree to its weapons surrender and to having no future involvement in the leadership of Gaza.

Regional Reactions

Local residents characterized Hamas' response to the ceasefire proposal as unexpected, after an extended period of indications that the group was preparing to reject or at least significantly qualify its approval of Trump's peace plan proposal.

Instead, the militant group excluded its established limits in the formal declaration, a decision many interpret as a indication of international influence.

European and Middle Eastern leaders have welcomed the proposal. The Palestinian Authority, which governs sections of the Palestinian territories, has characterized the US president's efforts as "sincere and determined"

Iran - which has been one of the organization's key backers for many years - has also now signalled its support for the American initiative.

Present Conditions

Armed attacks continued in multiple areas of the Palestinian territory on Monday prior to the negotiations starting.

Defense personnel is conducting an offensive in the urban area, which it has stated is intended to obtaining the liberation of the outstanding captives.

An official representative, speaking for Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence, indicated that "assistance vehicles have been authorized access for Gaza City since the campaign commenced one month prior"

"Remains persist we cannot retrieve from zones under defense force authority" he commented.

Numerous individuals of the urban center have been compelled to evacuate after the Israeli military required departures to a designated "humanitarian area" in the lower territory, but hundreds of thousands more are considered to have persisted.

The military official has cautioned that those who stay during the military operation would be "terrorists and supporters of terror"

In the previous day, 21 residents have been lost their lives in Gaza and a another 96 injured, the local medical authorities said in its current assessment.

Global media representatives have been banned by Israeli authorities from visiting the Palestinian territory independently since the start of the conflict, making confirming reports from both sides challenging.