Hamas representatives and Israeli delegates begin mediated discussions in the Egyptian city on the US Palestinian peace plan.
News Agency
Third-party negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement on a American ceasefire proposal to end the war in Gaza have started in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
Local and international officials have indicated that the meetings are centered around "preparing the environment" for a potential swap that would see the liberation of all detained individuals in compensation of a group of Palestinian prisoners.
Officials declared it consents to the peace plan proposals to some extent, but has omitted reference to several key demands - particularly its disarmament and governance position in Gaza.
Israel's prime minister said on Saturday that he expected to reveal the release of hostages "in the coming days"
Historical Framework
The talks, which will feature regional and international officials facilitating discussions with representatives from both Israel and Hamas individually, take place on the verge of the two-year mark of the armed assault on border communities on the initial attack date, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
The defense forces launched a campaign in Gaza in retaliation. From that point, 67,160 have been fatally injured by Israeli military operations in Gaza, based on data from the territory's medical administration.
Initiative Components
The 20-point plan, which has been agreed upon by the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, proposes an immediate end to hostilities and the release of 48 detained individuals, only 20 individuals are believed to be living, in compensation of numerous of Palestinian prisoners.
The proposal specifies that once both sides accept the plan "complete assistance will be promptly delivered into the conflict zone"
It also states that the militant group would have no participation in governing Gaza, and it allows for an independent Palestinian nation.
Current Situation
In the latest development, officials replied to the initiative in a statement, in which the group approved "to release all captured individuals, both alive and killed, following the exchange formula specified by the US initiative" - if the proper conditions for the swaps are fulfilled.
It did not specifically mention or approve the comprehensive proposal but said it "restates its approval to transfer the administration of the conflict zone to a governing council of professionals, established through local agreement and international backing"
The declaration made no mention of one of the key demands of the plan – that Hamas consent to its military demobilization and to ceasing political participation in the administration of Gaza.
Global Perspectives
Gaza inhabitants characterized Hamas' response to the ceasefire proposal as surprising, after an extended period of indications that the organization was preparing to reject or at least substantially modify its approval of Trump's peace plan proposal.
Instead, the organization refrained from including its established limits in the formal declaration, a decision many consider a indication of outside forces.
Global and local representatives have endorsed the proposal. The Palestinian Authority, which controls areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has described the American initiatives as "authentic and resolute"
The Islamic Republic - which has been one of Hamas's main sponsors for an extended period - has also now signalled its endorsement of the American initiative.
Current Situation
Military strikes persisted in several parts of the Gaza Strip on recently ahead of the talks beginning.
Defense personnel is carrying out an offensive in the city, which it has said is intended to securing the release of the outstanding captives.
A spokesperson, spokesman for Gaza's civil protection agency, stated that "no aid trucks have been allowed into Gaza City since the offensive began four weeks ago"
"Victims remain we cannot access from areas under defense force authority" he said.
Numerous individuals of the metropolitan area have been forced to flee after the defense forces mandated relocations to a designated "humanitarian area" in the southern region, but hundreds of thousands more are thought to have stayed.
The defense representative has warned that those who stay during the combat campaign would be "militants and their backers"
In the recent period, 21 individuals have been killed in Gaza and a another 96 harmed, the local medical authorities said in its current assessment.
Foreign correspondents have been restricted by Israel from visiting the conflict zone autonomously since the start of the conflict, making confirming reports from all parties difficult.