SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: Hamas said on Tuesday (Oct 7) it was ready to reach a deal to end the war in Gaza based on Donald Trump’s plan but still has demands, as the Qatari Prime Minister and senior US mediators headed to Egypt to join indirect negotiations there between the Palestinian group and Israel.
On the second anniversary of the Palestinian militant group’s attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, Trump expressed optimism about progress toward a Gaza Deal. A US team, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and his Middle East envoy during his first term, left for the talks.
“I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East” beyond just Gaza, the US president told reporters in the Oval Office.
A source close to the talks said they had adjourned for the day and the atmosphere had been better than on Monday. Negotiations on Wednesday would be a decisive indicator of whether progress was possible given the presence of the senior mediators, the source said.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani will join the talks on Wednesday, an official told Reuters, “with the aim of pushing forward the Gaza ceasefire plan and hostage release agreement”.
