{"id":287182,"date":"2025-10-08T18:33:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T18:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/287182\/"},"modified":"2025-10-08T18:33:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T18:33:15","slug":"hamas-and-israel-enter-a-third-day-of-gaza-peace-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/287182\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamas and Israel enter a third day of Gaza peace talks"},"content":{"rendered":"

CAIRO (AP) \u2014 U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s top adviser for the Middle East and other senior officials joined the third day of peace talks<\/a> between Israel and Hamas in an Egyptian resort on Wednesday, a sign that negotiators aim to dive deeply into the toughest issues of an American plan<\/a> to end the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Hamas says it\u2019s seeking firm guarantees from Trump and mediators that Israel won\u2019t resume its military campaign in the Palestinian territory after the militant group releases all the remaining hostages.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Palestinians<\/p>\n

Palestinians carry plastic bottles with water in an area of a makeshift tent camp for displaced people along the shore of Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n

Palestinians carry plastic bottles with water in an area of a makeshift tent camp for displaced people along the shore of Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n

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All sides have expressed optimism for a deal to end the two-year war<\/a> that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and most of the Gaza Strip destroyed<\/a>. But key parts of the peace plan still haven\u2019t been agreed to, including a requirement that Hamas disarm, the timing and extent of an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, and the creation of an international body to run the territory after Hamas steps down.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the president\u2019s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, arrived Wednesday at Sharm el-Sheikh for the discussions, as did Qatar\u2019s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s top adviser, Ron Dermer.<\/p>\n

Representatives from fringe militant groups, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad \u2014 which holds an unknown number of Israeli hostages \u2014 are scheduled to arrive later Wednesday, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren\u2019t authorized to speak to the media. Their attendance underscores the aim of the talks to encompass all Palestinian groups.<\/p>\n

As Qatari, Egyptian, Turkish and U.S. mediators met with both sides in preliminary talks on Wednesday morning, a senior Hamas official, Taher Nounou, said the group has provided a list of Palestinian prisoners it wants released from Israel in return for hostages in Gaza as part of the deal.<\/p>\n

Separately, foreign ministers from European and Arab countries will converge on Paris on Thursday for a meeting on the future of Gaza to signal their support for Trump\u2019s peace plan. Officials from France, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Spain, the European Union, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Indonesia, Canada and Turkey are expected to take part.<\/p>\n

The meeting will focus on the potential deployment of an international stabilization force, Gaza\u2019s post-war governance, Hamas\u2019 disarmament and humanitarian aid and reconstruction, officials said on condition of anonymity because they couldn\u2019t publicly disclose details of the meeting.<\/p>\n

But Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar criticized the French initiative as being \u201cconcocted behind Israel\u2019s back at the sensitive timing of the negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh.\u201d Sa\u2019ar said that he hopes the initiative won\u2019t \u201cundermine the critical negotiations for the release of hostages, as it already happened in the past.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A vehicle passes in front of the International Conference Center where Israeli and Hamas officials are set to hold indirect talks Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)<\/p>\n

A vehicle passes in front of the International Conference Center where Israeli and Hamas officials are set to hold indirect talks Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)<\/p>\n

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Trump\u2019s peace plan<\/p>\n

The plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and release of the 48 hostages that militants in Gaza still hold from their surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that started the war and triggered Israel\u2019s devastating retaliation. Around 20 of the hostages are believed to still be alive.<\/p>\n

It envisions Israel withdrawing its troops from Gaza after Hamas disarms, and an international security force moving in. The territory would be placed under international governance, with Trump and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair<\/a> overseeing it.<\/p>\n

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Wednesday in televised comments that the negotiations so far \u201cwere very encouraging.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A vehicle passes in front of a billboard showing Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at the Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where Israeli and Hamas officials are set to hold indirect talks, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. Arabic reads, \u201ctogether Egypt will remain forever\u201d. (AP Photo)<\/p>\n

A vehicle passes in front of a billboard showing Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at the Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where Israeli and Hamas officials are set to hold indirect talks, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. Arabic reads, \u201ctogether Egypt will remain forever\u201d. (AP Photo)<\/p>\n

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Netanyahu has accepted Trump\u2019s plan. His office said Tuesday that Israel was \u201ccautiously optimistic,\u201d framing the talks as technical negotiations over a plan that both sides already had approved.<\/p>\n

Turkey\u2019s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan sounded upbeat in Ankara that a ceasefire could be close. \u201cIf an agreement is reached today, a ceasefire will be declared,\u201d he told a news conference.<\/p>\n

Fidan said that \u201ca lot of progress has been achieved so far\u201d and that both sides \u201chave shown great will for the release of the prisoners and the hostages.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement Tuesday, Hamas reiterated its longstanding demands for a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but said nothing about disarmament, a step it has long resisted. Hamas has also spoken against the idea of international rule, though it has agreed it will have no role in governing post-war Gaza.<\/p>\n

Speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh, Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas\u2019 top negotiator, told Egypt\u2019s Qahera TV that the group wanted solid guarantees from Trump and mediators that the war \u201cwill not return.\u201d It appeared to be his first public appearance since an Israeli strike targeting him and other top Hamas leaders<\/a> in Qatar last month killed six people, including his son and office manager.<\/p>\n

In January, the two sides had a ceasefire that brought the release of some Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Under the agreement \u2014 which Trump and Witkoff played a major role in brokering \u2014 the two sides were then supposed to enter negotiations over a long-term truce, an Israeli withdrawal and a full hostage release. <\/p>\n

But Israel broke the ceasefire in March, resuming its campaign of bombardment and offensives, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas for the remaining hostage releases. <\/p>\n

Past rounds of negotiations have frequently fallen apart over the same obstacle, with Hamas demanding assurances of the war\u2019s end and Netanyahu vowing to keep fighting until the group is destroyed. The Trump plan attempts to resolve all the issues at once, by laying out Hamas disarmament and a post-war scenario for governing the territory with provisions for a major reconstruction campaign. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Smoke<\/p>\n

Smoke rises following an Israeli military strike in the northern Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Emilio Morenatti)<\/p>\n

Smoke rises following an Israeli military strike in the northern Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Emilio Morenatti)<\/p>\n

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Praying for a deal <\/p>\n

In the Hamas-led attack two years ago, militants stormed into southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. Most hostages have since been released in ceasefires or other deals.<\/p>\n

A growing number of experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body<\/a>, have said that Israel\u2019s offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide \u2014 an accusation Israel denies. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza\u2019s Health Ministry. <\/p>\n

The ministry, which doesn\u2019t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children, is part of the Hamas-run government. The United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.<\/p>\n

The ministry said Wednesday that the bodies of 10 people killed by Israeli strikes had been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 61 wounded, it said in its daily report.<\/p>\n

In the Gaza Strip, where much of the territory lies in ruins<\/a>, Palestinians are desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands fleeing Israel\u2019s latest ground offensive in northern Gaza and Gaza City have set up makeshift tents along the beach in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Palestinians<\/p>\n

Palestinians carry plastic bottles to collect water in an area of a makeshift tent camp for displaced people along the shore of Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n

Palestinians carry plastic bottles to collect water in an area of a makeshift tent camp for displaced people along the shore of Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no food, nor good water, and blockage of crossings,\u201d said Um Sulaiman Abu Afash, a displaced woman from Gaza City. \u201cOur kids sleep in the streets. We buy drinking water. Where do we go? There\u2019s no mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sara Rihan, a displaced woman from Jabaliya, said she was praying for an end to the war.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope we return to our places and homes even if there are no homes,\u201d she said. \u201cOur existence in our land is the biggest happiness for us.\u201d <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Follow AP\u2019s war coverage at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/israel-hamas-war<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CAIRO (AP) \u2014 U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s top adviser for the Middle East and other senior officials joined…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":287183,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[97,33566,3881,372,41765,69,70,4526,57,104044,4527,15127,3464,99,3462,373,17966,91870,3463,91872,50,80,6673,365,23928,147716,13226,147717,39526,96,103,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-287182","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-2024-2025-mideast-wars","9":"tag-abdel-fattah-el-sissi","10":"tag-ap-top-news","11":"tag-benjamin-netanyahu","12":"tag-disarmament","13":"tag-donald-trump","14":"tag-gaza","15":"tag-gaza-strip","16":"tag-general-news","17":"tag-hakan-fidan","18":"tag-hamas","19":"tag-hostage-situations","20":"tag-international-agreements","21":"tag-israel","22":"tag-israel-government","23":"tag-israel-hamas-war","24":"tag-jared-kushner","25":"tag-khalil-al-haya","26":"tag-mideast-wars","27":"tag-mohammed-bin-rashid-al-maktoum","28":"tag-news","29":"tag-politics","30":"tag-qatar","31":"tag-religion","32":"tag-ron-dermer","33":"tag-sara-rihan","34":"tag-steve-witkoff","35":"tag-sulaiman-abu-afash","36":"tag-tony-blair","37":"tag-war-and-unrest","38":"tag-world","39":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=287182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=287182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=287182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}