United States special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, are set to join ongoing Gaza peace talks between Israel and Hamas negotiators in Egypt.
According to BBC reports, the second day of indirect negotiations on Tuesday ended without concrete progress. Discussions are focused on a ceasefire, hostage-prisoner exchanges, Israeli troop withdrawal, humanitarian aid delivery, and plans for post-war governance in Gaza.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, a key mediator, is also expected to attend, along with the head of Turkish intelligence, to help push forward a deal.
Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said the group is engaging in “serious and responsible” talks but wants guarantees that Israel will not restart the war after any ceasefire. Senior Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum added that the team aims to remove “all obstacles” to reaching an agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel remains committed to its war goals — freeing hostages, ending Hamas’s rule, and ensuring Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.
President Trump expressed optimism, saying there is a “real chance” for peace in the Middle East and promised to ensure all sides “adhere to the deal.”
The war, now in its second year, began after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages. Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians, including 18,000 children, have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
A UN commission of inquiry has accused Israel of committing genocide — a claim Israel has strongly rejected.
Source: BBC News and Reuters reports on the Gaza peace negotiations.
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