Egypt – Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff are all set to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday as truce talks between Israel and Hamas kick into high gear.

“I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East. It’s something even beyond the Gaza situation. We want a release of the hostages immediately,” US President Trump told reporters in the White House. 

He said the United States would do “everything possible” to make sure that Hamas stuck to the conditions of the ceasefire.

Among the terms of the 20-point plan is the release of all Israeli hostages still held by Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli forces to an agreed buffer zone, increased aid deliveries to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the creation of an interim government for Gaza led by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The Hamas delegation at the talks in Egypt said it had presented a list of Palestinians whom it wants released from Israeli prisons along with a list of Israeli hostages who would be released if a ceasefire deal were reached.

In a statement, the group’s leadership emphasized how seriously all parties were taking negotiations, and said: “Mediators are making significant efforts to remove any obstacles to the steps for implementing a ceasefire and a spirit of optimism is prevailing among everyone.”

Key for the approval of any final deal, Hamas representatives said, is a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

-DW