First steps in negotiations: Hamas hands over to Israel the list of prisoners to be exchanged
The release of prisoners and hostages would be one of the first stages of the Gaza peace agreement being discussed in Egypt.
BarcelonaHamas has handed Israel a list of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners who could be released under a peace agreement. The release of the hostages will be one of the first steps in fulfilling the agreement, should it ultimately be approved. Hamas official Taher al-Nounou expressed optimism regarding the outcome.the negotiations taking place in Egypt on Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war.
Hamas indicated in a statement that its delegation is showing "the positivity and responsibility necessary to achieve the necessary progress and complete the agreement." The mediators – Egyptian and Qatari – "are making great efforts to eliminate any obstacles to the implementation of the ceasefire, giving priority to a spirit of optimism among all," the statement said.
Among the Palestinian prisoners set to be released are figures such as Marwan Barghouti, a symbol of the struggle against Israel. Barghouti was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2004 for five murders, attempted murder, and belonging to a terrorist organization. But in the West Bank, he is considered a consensus figure for his commitment to the Palestinian struggle.
The proposal discussed in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh provides that this initial phase will address details related to the ceasefire and the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
But despite the optimism for an agreement that Trump himself expressed on Tuesday, coinciding with the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, a timeline for the first phase of the plan – which would include the exchange of prisoners and hostages to Gaza Hamas – has not yet been set. On Tuesday, the spokesman for the Islamist group, Fawzi Barhoum, insisted that there will only be an agreement if the end of the fighting is definitive and Israel leaves the Palestinian territory.
In addition to the Hamas and Israeli delegations holding indirect talks through Egyptian and Qatari mediators, the talks also include US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and former Middle East advisor.
Trump asks Turkey for help.
But on the second political line, there are many international actors trying to channel the pact. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan explained this morning that he is holding talks with Hamas to convince the group to accept the plan on the table, as Trump himself had requested. "During my visit to the United States and in our most recent phone call, we explained to Donald Trump how to achieve a pact in Palestine. And he specifically requested that we meet with Hamas and try to convince them," the Turkish leader said.
However, Erdogan has also argued that in any post-war scenario, Gaza must remain part of a Palestinian state and must be governed by Palestinians.
