Palestinian Hamas and Israeli officials begin mediated talks in the Egyptian city on Trump's Gaza ceasefire initiative.
News Agency
Indirect talks aimed at reaching a final agreement on a American ceasefire proposal to stop the conflict in Gaza have started in the Red Sea resort of the Egyptian resort town.
Local and international officials have stated that the meetings are focused on "preparing the environment" for a anticipated transfer that would result in the release of all Israeli hostages in compensation of a quantity of detained Palestinians.
The group stated it consents to the negotiation framework to some extent, but has omitted reference to several essential conditions - such as its military demobilization and political participation in Gaza.
The government official said on the weekend that he expected to reveal the freeing of captives "in the coming days"
Background Context
The talks, which will feature Egyptian and Qatari officials facilitating discussions with representatives from both the two sides in isolation, take place on the eve of the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on the initial attack date, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were seized.
The defense forces initiated operations in Gaza in retaliation. Following the initial attack, over 67,000 have been fatally injured by Israeli military operations in Gaza, according to the territory's medical administration.
Proposal Framework
The detailed initiative, which has been agreed upon by US President Donald Trump and Israeli officials, outlines an quick halt to combat and the liberation of 48 hostages, only 20 of whom are thought to be surviving, in exchange for multiple hundreds of detained Gazans.
The framework requires that once the two parties accept the proposal "complete assistance will be immediately sent into the conflict zone"
It also declares that the militant group would have no participation in governing Gaza, and it permits an independent Palestinian nation.
Recent Developments
In the latest development, the group answered to the plan in a statement, in which the group agreed "to liberate all Israeli prisoners, both alive and killed, according to the exchange formula contained in the US initiative" - if the required situation for the exchanges are fulfilled.
It did not specifically mention or endorse the comprehensive proposal but said it "reaffirms its commitment to hand over the administration of the Palestinian territory to a governing council of professionals, based on local agreement and Arab and Islamic support"
The statement made no mention of one of the key demands of the initiative – that the militant group accept its weapons surrender and to having no future involvement in the leadership of Gaza.
Regional Reactions
Many Palestinians described the organization's answer to the negotiation initiative as surprising, after days of suggestions that the organization was considering denial or at least heavily condition its acceptance of the US framework.
Alternatively, the militant group omitted its customary boundaries in the public announcement, a action many consider a indication of outside forces.
International and regional leaders have endorsed the plan. The Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has called the Trump administration actions as "genuine and committed"
Iran - which has been one of the group's primary supporters for an extended period - has also currently expressed its support for the American initiative.
Ongoing Reality
Armed attacks persisted in various locations of the Palestinian territory on the beginning of the week before the talks beginning.
Israeli forces is conducting an offensive in the city, which it has declared is intended to obtaining the liberation of the remaining hostages.
Mahmoud Basal, speaking for the region's Hamas-run civil defence, reported that "no aid trucks have been authorized access for Gaza City since the campaign commenced recently"
"Victims remain we are unable to recover from zones under defense force authority" he commented.
Countless residents of Gaza City have been forced to flee after the defense forces ordered evacuations to a specified safe zone in the southern region, but hundreds of thousands more are considered to have persisted.
The military official has warned that those who stay during the military operation would be "terrorists and supporters of terror"
In the previous day, 21 Palestinians have been fatally injured in Gaza and a further 96 harmed, the local medical authorities said in its current assessment.
International journalists have been banned by Israel from visiting the Gaza Strip without supervision since the beginning of the hostilities, making verifying claims from all parties difficult.