The first day of the new round of Gaza ceasefire talks ended in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egyptian TV channel Al-Qahira al-Ikhbariya reported.
According to the channel, the consultations were held “in a positive atmosphere“ and are expected to continue on October 7. No further information has yet been published on the interim results of the first day of the talks.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump, who proposed the latest plan to resolve the conflict in Gaza, announced that the dialogue in Sharm el-Sheikh was going “very well” and that the Palestinian Hamas movement agrees to agreements on important issues. He expressed confidence that the mediators will be able to convince the parties to reach a compromise.
On September 29, the White House presented Trump's “comprehensive plan“ aimed at resolving the conflict in the Gaza Strip. The document consists of 20 points. It provides for the imposition of temporary external governance in the Palestinian enclave and the deployment of international stabilization forces there. Israel announced its agreement with this plan. Later, Hamas expressed its readiness to release all living Israeli hostages held in Gaza and hand over the bodies of the dead.
On the evening of October 6, indirect negotiations between the Israeli and Hamas delegations resumed in Sharm el-Sheikh. Representatives from Egypt and Qatar are mediating, while the United States is represented by special presidential envoy Stephen Witkoff and Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
At least 12 people have been killed in the past 24 hours as a result of ongoing Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
According to the agency, four people were killed in Gaza City, one in the central part of the Palestinian enclave and seven in the southern part.
According to a report published by the Gaza Health Ministry on October 6, 67,160 people were killed and 169 679 have been injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, 2023. The ministry noted that the exact number of those killed was difficult to determine as many bodies remain buried under the rubble of buildings, preventing ambulance crews and civil defense services from accessing them.
The focus of indirect talks between the Palestinian and Israeli delegations, which began in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday afternoon, is on practical arrangements to facilitate a prisoner exchange, sources told Al-Cahra News.
Palestinian and Egyptian officials told the BBC that the meetings were focused on "creating field conditions" for a possible swap that would see all Israeli hostages released in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas had earlier said it had agreed to Donald Trump's peace plan proposals in part, but had failed to meet several key demands - including disarmament and a future role in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday he hoped to announce the release of the hostages "in the coming days".
The talks, during which Egyptian and Qatari representatives will meet with delegations from both Israel and Hamas separately, come on the eve of the second anniversary of the Palestinian group's attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan in a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, TASS reported, quoted by BTA, citing the Kremlin press service.
"The current development of events in the Middle East was discussed in detail, including the US President's proposed plan for normalization (of the situation) in the Gaza Strip. "Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia's unwavering position in favor of a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue on the well-known international legal basis," the statement added.
During the conversation, the two state leaders also expressed their interest in finding a diplomatic solution to the issue of the Iranian nuclear program, as well as further stabilization of Syria, Reuters notes.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful believes that the release of the hostages held by Hamas is possible next week.
“I am optimistic. We are indeed on the right track“, the foreign minister said in an interview with the “Bild“ newspaper, commenting on efforts to resolve the situation in the Gaza Strip. “I hope we can reach a first agreement - a ceasefire, the release of hostages and humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip - within the next week“, he noted. “There is a chance“, Wadeful believes.
“Hamas must know that it has to make a choice now, otherwise there will be serious consequences“, he warned.