Pivotal talks in Sharm el‑Sheikh today to determine fate of the Gaza war

Negotiations described as “pivotal” begin today, Monday, in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, aiming to reach a comprehensive agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip and secure the release of prisoners, as part of the “21-point plan” put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The talks will be overseen on the U.S. side by Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s envoy, and Jared Kushner, while Washington has expressed cautious optimism about the chances of success, amid increasing pressure to hasten understandings before field tensions escalate again.

By contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke today in a cautious tone, saying he “cannot guarantee Hamas will agree to release the prisoners,” while Arab reports said the movement has begun collecting the bodies of Israeli dead in preparation to hand them over as part of a prospective exchange deal, and has given mediators a list of the names of living prisoners and the bodies expected to be transferred to Israel.

Hamas, in turn, is demanding the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza City and a halt to air sorties over the Strip, in addition to guarantees that Israel will not intervene in the lists of released Palestinian prisoners, calling for the release of 250 detainees including prominent figures such as Marwan Barghouti.

The movement expects the negotiations to last more than a week, contrary to what U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with NBC, insisting that “the talks cannot continue for weeks or even days,” adding that “90% of the details of the agreement have been agreed upon, while logistical issues remain under discussion.”

Rubio concluded by saying: “Unless Gaza is controlled by those who do not want to destroy Israel, there will be no talk of a Palestinian state.”

The forthcoming talks are widely seen as the last chance to end the war that has been ongoing for two years, amid growing international pressure to salvage what remains of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Strip.