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President Trump’s senior Middle East adviser Steve Witkoff arrived in Egypt on Wednesday for the third day of peace talks between Israel and Hamas, a sign that ceasefire talks may be progressing.
The president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, accompanied Witkoff in the mediation discussions, the Associated Press reported. Trump said he might later travel to the Middle East himself, adding that a peace deal was “very close.”
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Ron Dermer, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanya, were also present, according to the Associated Press.
Currently, the deal outlined will include the return of 48 hostages and an end to strikes in the Gaza Strip triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Senior Hamas official Taher Noonu said the group had submitted a list of Palestinian prisoners it wanted to exchange for hostages, Reuters reported.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are due to arrive for talks on behalf of Hamas on Wednesday evening. Trump said that if the terms of the ceasefire were accepted, the Gaza Strip would be handed over to an independent Palestinian body.
The terms of the deal have been broadly accepted by both Israeli leaders and senior Hamas leaders.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a televised address Wednesday that the talks so far were “very encouraging,” The Associated Press reported.
Netanyahu also said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the deal. On Tuesday, he shared a post honoring those killed in a Hamas attack two years ago.
He posted on the social platform
“Together we broke the Iranian axis, together we changed the face of the Middle East, and together we will ensure the permanence of Israel,” he continued. “We will continue to act to achieve all the goals of the war: return all hostages, eliminate Hamas rule, and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel. We will stand united. With God’s help, we will prevail.”
The Trump administration tried to broker a peace deal between Hamas and Israel in January. But Israel broke the ceasefire in March in an attempt to return hostages held by the armed group. Hamas is now demanding additional security guarantees in current negotiations.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the president said Netanyahu was “very positive about the deal,” adding that Hamas performed “very well” during the negotiations.