Speaking at a joint press conference on Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have made progress toward a ceasefire in Gaza. A U.S. delegation led by president Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff will join the talks on Wednesday, according to a report by AFP.
The talks will be taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt started on Monday aiming to end the two-year war that has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and forced millions to leave their homes.
Under President Donald Trump’s 20 points plan, mediators want to get the release of around 48 remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Abdelatty said that the conversations were mostly about planning the first steps for Israeli troops to leave certain parts of Gaza. The first phase would also let the United Nations send humanitarian aid into the area without any restrictions. This would help with the ongoing crisis where food and medical supplies are still hard to come by.
The Israeli delegation is still in Egypt, and Khalil al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas leader, is there to represent the group. Officials from both sides have not said anything in public, but mediators say they are cautiously optimistic even if there are big disagreements regarding disarmament and governance.
Turkey has also been working to mediate in the last few days. These talks are happening on the anniversary of the war, which shows how badly we need peace as civilian deaths rise.
(With inputs from agencies)
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