US, Qatar and Turkey to Participate in Third Round of Gaza Truce Talks in Egypt

Efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza entered their third day on Wednesday, as Qatar’s Prime Minister and senior officials from the United States and Turkey joined Hamas and Israeli negotiators for indirect talks in Egypt.

The discussions are taking place in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, centered around a 20-point peace plan proposed last month by US President Donald Trump.

Among the high-level attendees are Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, and Trump’s Middle East team — special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

“There’s a real chance we could achieve something,” President Trump told reporters in Washington, expressing optimism about the peace push.

“We’re hopeful for an immediate release of hostages and a broader step toward lasting peace in the Middle East.”

Trump added that the United States would “do everything possible to ensure all parties adhere to the deal” if Hamas and Israel reach an agreement.

The latest diplomatic efforts come as Israel marks two years since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks, which triggered the ongoing war.

The assault the deadliest in Israel’s history killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, with 47 still in captivity, including 25 believed to be dead, according to the Israeli military.

Meanwhile, international calls for an end to the war continue to grow, as much of Gaza lies in ruins, famine looms, and families of hostages plead for swift action.

A UN probe accused last month Israel of genocide in Gaza while rights groups have accused Hamas of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the October 7 attack. Both sides reject the allegations.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters joined pro-Palestinian mass demonstrations in cities across the world last weekend, calling for an immediate end to the war, including in Italy, Spain, Ireland and Britain.

Demonstrators in the Netherlands called for their government to recognise a Palestinian state, while tens of thousands in Britain defied Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s calls to skip rallies, holding vigils and gatherings on the October 7 anniversary.

Guarantees

Hamas’s top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said the Islamist group wants “guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all”.

Trump’s plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

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

A Palestinian source close to the Hamas negotiating team said Tuesday’s session included Hamas discussing “the initial maps presented by the Israeli side regarding the withdrawal of troops as well as the mechanism and timetable for the hostage-prisoner exchange”.

US representatives Witkoff and Kushner were expected to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, after they were initially expected to arrive last weekend.

“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,” he said.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,160 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.

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