Gaza negotiations in Egypt begin under the pressure from Trump

Under the pressure of US President Donald Trump, conversations started in the Egyptian Sharm el-Scheich about his peace plan for the Gaza Strip. A delegation around Chalil al-Haja, the highest representative of Hamas abroad, met with interfaces from Qatar and Egypt, as the dpa news agency learned from negotiation circles. Talks with representatives of Israel were also planned in the afternoon.

The state-close Egyptian television station Al-Kahira News reported that the indirect conversations between Israel and Hamas had started. There is a mood of the “complete confidentiality” on the details of the negotiations, the broadcaster reported.

Trump has been pressing the pace for a few days during the negotiations. The hope is now that Israel and Hamas agree on an release of the remaining 48 hostages – in return for a ceasefire and the discharge of hundreds of Palestinians. Because questions about the disarmament of Hamas and a troop withdrawal of Israel from Gaza are controversial, it will only be shown whether this negotiation round brings a turn.

In addition to Al-Haja, Steve Witkoff, among other things, arrived in the town on the Sinai Peninsula, as the dpa learned from security circles. The Israeli delegation around Minister Ron Dermer is also on site. As in previous rounds, Israel and Hamas will not negotiate with each other directly. The conversations could take several days.

The Red Cross offered to support in the event of an agreement, as with previous exposures of hostages from the combat area. The teams were ready as a “humanitarian medium” to bring the hostages and prisoners back to their families, the International Committee from the Red Cross (IKRK) said.

Trump has increased the pressure in the negotiations and threatened that the time factor is now decisive. “Otherwise there will be massive blood pour – something nobody wants to see!” He wrote on the Truth Social platform. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also emphasized that his country and the United States are determined to limit the negotiations to a few days.

Skamp EL-Scheich is located on the Red Sea and is known for vacationers because of its beaches. The particularly well -secured and comparatively remote place has been the scene of international conferences and summit meetings on conflicts in the Middle East. The World Climate Conference COP27 also took place here in 2022.

The kick -off of the talks fell on the day on October 6, which Egypt celebrates as the “day of armed forces”. On this day, Egypt and Syria fell over the neighbors of Israel with Arabic allies in 1973 to recapture areas that Israel had taken in 1967 – including the Sinai Peninsula.