Egypt to host Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange talks in Sharm el-Sheikh
Egypt will host delegations from Hamas and Israel on Monday in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss arrangements for implementing US president Donald Trump’s plan concerning a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, according to the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs.
Al Jazeera satellite channel quoted a diplomatic source in Cairo as saying that technical talks over implementing the first phase of the plan will start tomorrow (Monday), with the participation of Egyptian, Qatari, and US delegations.
According to the source, the Hamas delegation will leave Doha this evening for Cairo while the Qatari delegation is expected to arrive in Egypt tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, Trump has dispatched his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to Cairo to lead US efforts, while Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu said that a delegation from Israel is also heading to Egypt to finalize technical details.
The Wall Street Journal quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh aim to finalize a 20-point agreement proposed by Trump to end the war. Both Hamas and Israel have expressed conditional support for the plan.
The plan calls for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli captives within 72 hours after announcing its implementation. Hamas also needs to launch inter-Palestinian deliberations before proceeding further.