Day 1 of Israel-Hamas peace talks in Egypt ends on ‘positive’ note

Day 1 of peace talks between Israel and Hamas on Monday (October 6) is said to have ended on a “positive” note, ushering in hope for the likely implementation of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the two-year-long war in Gaza, including its demilitarisation.

More discussions are likely to be held on Tuesday (October 7).

Monday’s talks, held in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, went on for several hours during which a roadmap was drawn on how the discussion will proceed further.

Who are part of delegations?

The Israelis are led by top negotiator Ron Dermer, while Khalil al-Hayyah leads the Hamas delegation. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk would be present for Israel.

Also read: Trump’s Gaza peace plan: What Hamas has accepted and what it hasn’t

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are also said to be a part of the talks.

Both Hayya and Zaher Jabarin, who attended the talks from Hamas’ side, had survived an assassination attempt by Israel in Doha in which five people were killed.

Egypt's state-owned Al-Qahera News television station reported that the talks began with a meeting between Arab mediators and the Hamas delegation. Mediators were to meet later with the Israeli delegation, the station said.

Focus of discussion

According to a report by Al Jazeera, the talks focused on the proposed exchange of prisoners and captives, scope for a ceasefire, and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks told AP that the parties have agreed on most of the first-phase terms, which include the release of hostages and establishing a ceasefire.

Also read: Trump says Israel agrees to initial Gaza withdrawal line, awaits Hamas nod for truce

During the talks, the Hamas negotiators, however, said that Israel’s repeated bombing of Gaza poses a challenge to talks on the release of captives.

Despite the talks and US President Trump’s request to Israel to stop bombings, Israeli forces continued to pound Gaza with airstrikes, killing at least 19 people in the last 24 hours, the Gaza Health Ministry reported. This included 10 casualties on Monday alone.

Trump upbeat about peace deal

Hamas said the negotiations will focus on the first stage of a ceasefire, including the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces as well as the release of hostages held by the militants in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump was aiming for an early exchange of captives and prisoners to build “momentum” to implement other sections of his plan to end the conflict.

“The technical teams are discussing that as we speak, to ensure that the environment is perfect to release those hostages,” she said.

She said that teams were going through lists of hostages and prisoners from both sides who would be released.

Also read: Trump warns Israel, Hamas to ‘move fast’ or face 'massive bloodshed'

Trump on Monday also exuded confidence that there was a good chance at “making a deal” while giving his caveat that he still has his “red lines”.

“But I think we’re doing very well. And I think Hamas has been agreeing to things that are very important,” he said.

Push for peace

This latest push for peace comes after Hamas accepted some elements of the US plan that Israel also said it supported. Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — about 20 of whom are believed to be alive — within three days. It would give up power and disarm.

The talks in Egypt are expected to move quickly. Netanyahu said they would be “confined to a few days maximum,” though some Hamas officials have warned that more time may be needed to locate the bodies of hostages buried under rubble.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi hailed Trump's efforts, underscoring the importance of preserving the US-crafted “peace system” in the Middle East since the 1970s, which he said “served as a strategic framework for regional stability.”

Read/watch: 'Trump's Gaza plan is welcome as it signals end to Israeli assault'

Israel defends strikes

The US has said Israel's heavy bombardment of Gaza would need to stop for the hostages to be released. Israel says it's largely heeding Trump's call. The Israeli military said it is mostly carrying out defensive strikes to protect troops, though dozens of Palestinians have been killed since the military's statement Saturday night.

Gaza's Health Ministry said Monday that the bodies of 19 people, including two aid-seekers killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire, had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours. Another 96 were wounded. The deaths brought the Palestinian toll to 67,160 since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, triggered the war, with nearly 170,000 wounded, the ministry said.

Also read: Patients' physical state flags severe malnutrition, say doctors in Gaza

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack. Most of the largely Israeli hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals.

Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages petitioned the Nobel Prize Committee to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Trump for what they called his unprecedented contributions to global peace.