Rabat — Hamas and Israel sent delegations to convene and hold talks in Egypt on the new Gaza ceasefire.
Both parties’ delegations are meeting along with mediators to flesh out details of the first phase of the US President Donald Trump’ “peace deal.”
Trump has already called on negotiators to “move fast” to end the nearly two-year genocide on Gaza, while Hamas said it has sent a delegation headed by Khalil al-Hayya, head of the negotiating team, who was targeted in an assassination attempt by Israel in Qatar last month.
On the other side, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer is leading his country’s delegation in today’s talks.
The parties are set to discuss Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan, published a week ago. From the US side, the US’ special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are taking part in the talks.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that his country and the US are determined to keep indirect negotiations with Hamas limited to just a few days.
The negotiations, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, have an initial focus of striking a deal on the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Hamas has already approved accepting parts of Trump’s deal, while the US president called on Israel to stop its genocidal assaults on Gaza.
However, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have seemingly ignored this call, carrying on their attacks on civilians in the enclave, which have killed 21 Gazans and injured 96 others over the past 24 hours, including aid seekers.
Hosting the Hamas-Israeli talks, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi expressed his belief that true peace in the region is only possible with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
He explained that this should happen according to international legitimacy, and the rights of its rightful owners are restored.
El Sisi took to Facebook today to voice what the talks aim to achieve in the region, saying, “we are on the right path toward lasting peace and solid stability, which is what we all aspire to.”
He noted that a ceasefire, the return of hostages, the reconstruction of Gaza, and the beginning of a peaceful political process leading to the establishment and recognition of a Palestinian state are the core motives behind these negotiations.
Palestinians are skeptical about their future and have fears as to what the Trump plan is bringing to the region, as well as whether Israel is going to respect the outcomes, especially since it has violated terms in the past.
“Israel has been lying towards every one of us for two-years now,” Palestinian digital journalist Bisan Owda said in her most recent post on Instagram.
“It is not over until the Palestinians say that it is over…until the Palestinians can decide their future with dignity and they are not manipulated. The upcoming phase is just manipulating [our] opinion, exploiting Gaza wealth and the Gaza people, and that’s only the beginning,” she said.
