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Join on Telegram Rabat – As indirect talks between Israel and Hamas resume in Egypt, the Palestinian group has spelled out its main demands for any ceasefire agreement. The negotiations come amid a new US proposal, backed by Israel, which aimed to bring an end to two years of genocide in Gaza.
Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said the group hopes to “overcome all obstacles” and reach a deal that matches “the aspirations of our people in Gaza.”
He listed several conditions, including a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, not just a temporary truce, full withdrawal of Israeli forces from all parts of Gaza, and unrestricted humanitarian access and relief aid being allowed in.
Conditions also include the return of displaced people to their homes, a reconstruction process managed by a neutral Palestinian technocratic body, and a fair prisoner exchange deal.
Barhoum accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of working to obstruct talks, saying he had “deliberately thwarted” earlier negotiation rounds.
US President Donald Trump’s recently proposed 20-point peace plan for Gaza has become the basis for these talks. Key features of the Trump plan include an immediate ceasefire, if both sides accept the deal, and a full exchange of Israeli hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
It also includes a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas and transfer of Gaza’s governance to a technocratic body under international oversight.
Trump has called on Israel to immediately pause bombing in Gaza, but the occupation forces continue to claim Palestinian lives.
After Hamas’s partial acceptance of some parts of the Trump plan, Netanyahu’s office said Israel was preparing to carry out the first phase, (hostage release) while insisting it would preserve “its operational freedom.”
On one hand, the first day of the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh was described as “positive,” with mediators reporting progress on how the sessions would proceed. But deep disagreements remain, especially around the governance of Gaza and the full Israeli forces withdrawal.
