Palestinian Hamas and Israeli officials commence indirect talks in the Egyptian city on American Gaza peace plan.
News Agency
Indirect talks focused on achieving a comprehensive deal on a US peace plan to halt hostilities in Gaza have started in the mediation venue of the Egyptian resort town.
Local and international officials have stated that the meetings are centered around "establishing the groundwork" for a possible exchange that would involve the release of all Israeli hostages in return for a number of detained Palestinians.
The group stated it consents to the ceasefire initiative partially, but has failed to address several crucial requirements - including its military demobilization and political participation in Gaza.
Israel's prime minister said on recently that he anticipated declaring the liberation of hostages "in the coming days"
Conflict Timeline
The discussions, which will see regional and international officials holding shuttle meetings with delegations from both the two sides individually, come on the verge of the 24-month point of the military operation on Israeli territories on October 7th, in which approximately 1,200 people were lost their lives and 251 individuals were taken hostage.
The defense forces began military actions in Gaza in response. From that point, approximately 67,160 have been fatally injured by armed interventions in Gaza, according to the area's local health authorities.
Initiative Components
The 20-point plan, which has been endorsed by American leadership and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggests an quick halt to fighting and the freeing of 48 detained individuals, only a portion are believed to be alive, in compensation of hundreds of incarcerated individuals.
The proposal specifies that once all involved accept the proposal "complete assistance will be promptly delivered into the Gaza Strip"
It also declares that the militant group would have no involvement in governing Gaza, and it permits an future Palestinian sovereignty.
Current Situation
In the latest development, officials replied to the plan in a statement, in which the group approved "to release all detainees, both living and dead, following the transfer mechanism specified by the US initiative" - if the necessary circumstances for the swaps are met.
It did not specifically mention or approve Trump's 20-point plan but said it "reaffirms its commitment to transfer the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of technocrats, founded on Palestinian national consensus and regional endorsement"
The statement made no mention of one of the crucial requirements of the proposal – that Hamas consent to its disarmament and to playing no further role in the administration of Gaza.
Regional Reactions
Local residents described the organization's answer to the peace plan as surprising, after multiple days of signals that the organization was preparing to reject or at least substantially modify its endorsement of the US framework.
Instead, Hamas excluded its traditional "red lines" in the public announcement, a decision many interpret as a evidence of external pressure.
Global and local representatives have welcomed the proposal. The governing body, which administers parts of the disputed regions, has characterized the American initiatives as "genuine and committed"
The Islamic Republic - which has been one of the organization's key backers for many years - has also currently expressed its endorsement of Trump's Gaza peace plan.
Ongoing Reality
Armed attacks carried on in several parts of the Gaza Strip on Monday before the discussions commencing.
Israeli forces is carrying out an military operation in the metropolitan region, which it has said is designed to achieving the release of the outstanding captives.
An official representative, representing the region's local emergency services, reported that "humanitarian convoys have been permitted entry to the metropolitan area since the offensive began four weeks ago"
"Remains persist we cannot access from areas under defense force authority" he commented.
Hundreds of thousands of Gaza City have been compelled to evacuate after the Israeli military ordered evacuations to a designated "humanitarian area" in the lower territory, but hundreds of thousands more are thought to have stayed.
The military official has admonished that those who remain during the offensive would be "militants and their backers"
In the recent period, 21 residents have been lost their lives in Gaza and a further 96 injured, the Hamas-run health ministry said in its latest update.
Foreign correspondents have been restricted by Israeli authorities from accessing the Gaza Strip autonomously since the start of the war, making authenticating statements from the conflicting groups problematic.