Trump’s senior advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived Wednesday morning in Sharm el-Sheikh, where negotiations are underway between Israel and Hamas on the president’s plan to free all the hostages and end the war. The coming 24 hours, a source familiar with the talks who spoke to Reuters said, will be an indicator of whether an agreement can be reached.
Meanwhile, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Hamas is demanding not only the release of “aces” but also the bodies of Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar.
Also arriving in Sharm today are Minister Ron Dermer — who heads the Israeli negotiating team; Qatar’s prime minister Mohammed al-Thani; and Turkey’s intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın. In Israel this is seen as adding significant pressure on Hamas. In return for its involvement in promoting Trump’s plan, Turkey would be a central actor in rehabilitating the Strip and in bringing humanitarian aid into Gaza in coordination with Israel.
According to an Egyptian report, Hamas is demanding the release of “prisoners of the world” defined as “aces,” among them Marwan Barghouti, who was the head of the Tanzim and was sentenced in Israel to five life terms plus 40 additional years. A Palestinian source told Ynet that Barghouti’s wife, Fadwa, left Ramallah in haste last night and arrived in Cairo. Palestinian sources say her departure is attracting attention in light of the developments in the negotiations.
The Wall Street Journal reported this morning quoting officials from the mediating countries, that alongside the demand to free those prisoners, Hamas also wants the release of the bodies of the massacre architects Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar. Israel has already refused in the past to release Yahya Sinwar’s body after it was moved to secret storage.
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed great optimism Tuesday night, saying “there is a real opportunity for a deal,” and adding that another team had been sent out for negotiation talks. Trump made the remarks at the White House alongside Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney, and noted he would speak with him on the Gaza issue as well. Later, he said: “We are very close to a deal in the Middle East. When it happens, we will do everything to make sure everyone sticks to it.”
Trump on Tuesday at the White House: 'All countries in the world support my plan, there is a real chance to reach a deal'
(Video: Reuters)
At the same time, an Israeli political source also voiced cautious optimism. “Right now the talks are progressing, but we must be very careful because Hamas can at any moment create difficulties and reverse course,” he said. He added: “The direction is positive. Although the formal day of talks has ended, discussions continue in side rooms — and there are still gaps. At the levels represented there now there is progress, but as said, at any stage Hamas can flip.”
According to a report on the Egyptian channel Al-Rad, the second day of meetings concluded after about five hours of discussions, and, according to sources, Hamas insisted on a complete halt to fighting before releasing the hostages. The report said that “the debate over disputed points was postponed” until today.