CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas began indirect talks on ending the war in Gaza on Monday, after both sides signaled support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
The talks in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh are brokered by the U.S. and aim at hammering out details for the plan’s first phase. That includes a ceasefire to allow for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Trump’s plan has received wide international backing and raised hopes for an end to a devastating war that has upended global politics, left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and the Gaza Strip in ruins. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251.
Many uncertainties remain around the latest plan, including the demand for Hamas to disarm and the future governance of Gaza. Tuesday marks two years since the war began.
Here’s what we know:
Who’s at the talks
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the U.S. negotiating team, according to a senior Egyptian official Saturday. Local Egyptian media said that Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, arrived in Egypt and are expected to join the talks.
Hamas said that its delegation will be headed by its chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, and Israel has said its delegation will be headed by top negotiator and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confidant Ron Dermer, although it wasn’t clear if he was on the ground in Egypt. Netanyahu’s office said that foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk would also be present for Israel among others.
It’s not clear how long the talks …