Qatar and Turkey to Join Third Day of Gaza Peace Talks in Egypt

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Turkish delegates are set to join Hamas and Israeli negotiators in Egypt on Wednesday for the third day of talks aimed at ending the Gaza war.

The indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort town, based on a 20-point peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump last month.

“There’s a real chance that we could do something,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, adding that US negotiators are also involved in the talks.
“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.”

Trump stated that the United States would do “everything possible to make sure everyone adheres to the deal” if Hamas and Israel reach an agreement on a ceasefire.

The talks coincide with Israel commemorating the second anniversary of Hamas’s 7 October attack, which triggered the war.

• During the Jewish festival of Sukkot, Hamas-led militants launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history, prompting a large-scale Israeli military response in Gaza.
• The attack resulted in 1,219 deaths, mostly civilians, according to AFP calculations based on official Israeli figures.
• Militants took 251 hostages into Gaza, of whom 47 remain captive, including 25 whom the Israeli military says are dead.

Global pressure to end the war has intensified, with much of Gaza devastated, a UN-declared famine emerging, and families of hostages still awaiting news of their loved ones.

A UN investigation last month accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, while human rights groups have accused Hamas of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the October 7 attack. Both parties reject these allegations.

Hamas’s chief negotiator, Khalil El-Hayya, emphasised that the group seeks “guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all.”

Trump’s 20-point plan includes:

• An immediate ceasefire,
• The release of all hostages,
• Hamas’s disarmament, and
• A gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The plan has received positive responses from both Israel and Hamas, prompting indirect talks in Egypt since Monday.

A Palestinian source close to the Hamas negotiating team reported that Tuesday’s session involved discussions on:

• Initial Israeli troop withdrawal maps,
• Mechanisms and timetables for hostage-prisoner exchanges.

On Wednesday, Trump’s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will join the talks, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

“The primary guarantee of success at this stage is US President Trump himself… even if it comes to a point to require him imposing a vision,” Abdelatty said.

Qatar confirmed that its Prime Minister would attend, while Turkish state media reported that the country’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin would lead a delegation to Egypt.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has resulted in at least 67,160 deaths, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry, figures the United Nations considers credible.

• The data does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but indicates that over half of the dead are women and children.

The talks continue amid intense international scrutiny, aiming to halt the bloodshed, secure the release of hostages, and lay the groundwork for a lasting peace in the region.