Israel and Hamas have opened indirect negotiations in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, October 6, to hammer out the first phase of a U.S.-backed peace plan aimed at ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza. The talks — mediated by Egypt and Qatar — center on a hostage-prisoner exchange, a ceasefire, and the mechanics of an Israeli withdrawal, as U.S. President Donald Trump presses both sides to move fast.
What is on the table
The negotiations are built around President Trump's 20-point peace plan, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to during a White House meeting last week. According to Egypt's Foreign Ministry, the Sharm el-Sheikh session will focus on the "field conditions and details" for the exchange of all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli delegation — including Mossad and Shin Bet officials alongside strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer — is expected to discuss a phased halt to military operations and an initial Israeli withdrawal line that Trump says Israel has already agreed to.
The Hamas delegation, led by senior political bureau member Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Egypt on Sunday. Hamas has responded positively to the ceasefire and exchange framework, but the group has drawn a red line at disarmament — a core demand of Trump's plan. Hamas sources say they are also seeking guarantees that Israel will follow through with troop withdrawals once hostages are freed.
Trump's warning, and the envoys arriving
Trump has warned Hamas to "move fast," writing on Truth Social that Israel has temporarily halted its bombing in Gaza to give the deal a chance. "Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off," he posted. "I will not tolerate delay." He has also warned of "massive bloodshed" if the negotiations collapse, just ahead of the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack that ignited the conflict.
U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected in Egypt to join the final push. Netanyahu has said the talks should be "limited to a few days at most," though Hamas officials cautioned that more time may be needed to locate the bodies of hostages buried under Gaza's rubble.
Strikes continue as talks begin
Even as delegations gathered, Israeli strikes continued in Gaza on Monday, killing at least seven Palestinians, according to reports. The ongoing bombardment underscores how fragile the diplomatic window is — and why mediators are pressing for rapid agreement on the first phase: hostages out, prisoners exchanged, guns silenced.
Israel says roughly 20 hostages are still alive in Gaza, with the bodies of 28 others also held there. For their families, and for Gaza's civilians, Sharm el-Sheikh is the most serious chance at a truce in months. Whether it holds depends on details neither side has yet agreed to.
The takeaway: the Sharm el-Sheikh talks are the closest Gaza has come to a comprehensive ceasefire in nearly two years — but disarmament demands, withdrawal guarantees, and the politics of both capitals could still sink the deal in days.
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