Hamas said on Wednesday (8 October) it had exchanged a list of the names of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released under a swap deal and that it was optimistic about talks in Egypt on U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza.
Negotiations are focused on the mechanisms to halt the conflict, withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the swap deal, the group added.
The timing of the implementation of the first phase of President Donald Trump's 20-point initiative has not been agreed so far during talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, said a Palestinian source close to the negotiations.
President Trump, however, expressed optimism about progress toward a deal on Tuesday, the second anniversary of Hamas' attack on Israel that triggered Israel's assault on Gaza.
A U.S. team including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law who served as Middle East envoy during Trump's first term, will take part in the talks over a plan that has come closest to silencing the guns.
But officials on all sides urged caution over the prospects for a rapid agreement.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's close confidant - was due to join the talks on Wednesday afternoon, according to an Israeli official.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, a key mediator, and Turkish spymaster Ibrahim Kalin, will also take part in the ceasefire negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Hamas wants a permanent, comprehensive ceasefire, a complete pullout of Israeli forces and the immediate start of a comprehensive reconstruction process under the supervision of a Palestinian "national technocratic body".
Israel wants Hamas to disarm, which the group rejects.
U.S. officials suggest they want to initially focus talks on a halt to the fighting and the logistics of how the Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian detainees in Israel would be freed.
In the absence of a ceasefire, Israel has pressed on with its offensive in Gaza, increasing its international isolation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has once again expressed strong support for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, condemning foreign interference and cri...
French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed cautious optimism about U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan for Ukraine, acknowledging its potenti...
After a call with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv now sees “many prospects” for peace, pointing ...
The U.N. human rights office has called for an investigation into Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, which have killed at least 127 civilians since a ceas...
Kazakhstan plans to build a new seaport in Aktau, the governor of Mangistau region, Nurdaulet Kilybay said at a government meeting, Trend reports....
Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in Gaza on Monday near the line separating zones of Israeli control, exposing tensions in the ceasefire agreement signed on 9 October.
Families in Gaza’s Deir al Balah gathered on Sunday to mourn those killed in Israeli airstrikes a day earlier, as the latest round of violence strained the ceasefire that has been in place since October.
At least 22 Palestinians were killed Saturday in a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting homes and a civilian vehicle across several areas of the Gaza Strip, marking a new violation of the ceasefire that has been in place since October 10.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the war in Ukraine and the situation in Gaza on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa, the Canadian government said on Saturday.
The Hayli Gubbi volcano in north-eastern Ethiopia erupted on Sunday for the first time in over 12,000 years, before halting on Monday, according to the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center.
Cameras from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Saturday (22 November) captured Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spewing flowing lava from its crater in its latest eruption.
Italy captured a remarkable third consecutive Davis Cup title on Sunday, with Matteo Berrettini and Flavio Cobolli securing singles victories in a 2-0 triumph over Spain in Bologna.
U.S. President Donald Trump has told his advisers that he plans to speak directly with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro according to Axios, as Washington designated him as the head of a terrorist organisation on Monday. A claim Maduro denies.
Global media outlets have extensively covered the C5+1 Summit held in Washington, highlighting its significant outcomes for both the United States and Central Asian countries.
Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in Gaza on Monday near the line separating zones of Israeli control, exposing tensions in the ceasefire agreement signed on 9 October.
Azerbaijan has been elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the 2025 to 2029 term, securing one of the most competitive seats allocated to the Eastern European regional group.
The Solidarity Forum of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from member states of the Organization of Turkic States kicks off in Baku (24 November). At Azerbaijan’s initiative as the new rotating chair of the organisation, member-country NGOs are coming together for the first time.
The first Azerbaijan–Türkiye Think Tank Forum concluded on Monday in Shusha, bringing together leading analysts, experts and academics from both countries for a day of discussions on regional politics, strategic coordination and shared foreign policy priorities.
Russia says several “unfriendly” countries approached its delegation at the G20 summit in Johannesburg with concrete proposals for economic cooperation, according to senior Kremlin official Maksim Oreshkin.
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