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22m ago

Hamas Hands Over Swap Lists as U.S. Envoys Join Gaza Ceasefire Talks in Egypt

Lists exchanged under the U.S. plan signal movement, with mediators citing cautious progress.

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TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - OCTOBER 04: People chant slogans and hold placards in support of hostages still held by Hamas during a solidarity protest, calling for an end to the war and the release of all remaining Israeli hostages on October 04, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. This week, Hamas said it would partly accede to a peace deal brokered by the U.S. president and release the Israeli hostages held in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. However, the Palestinian militant group asked for negotiations on several conditions of the 20-point-plan. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents loved ones of the Israeli captives, said in a statement that "we are in decisive days for a deal - days that will determine when the living hostages return for rehabilitation and the deceased return for proper burial." (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Notices showing people in Israel who were kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and taken to Gaza during the current conflict lie at a makeshift memorial near the Reichstag on October 12, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. Approximately 150 people are confirmed to have been kidnapped by Hamas in the current conflict that has already claimed over 1,200 people killed in Israel and over 1,100 in Gaza. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Hamas said it provided names for a hostage–prisoner exchange and described a positive atmosphere in the Sharm el-Sheikh talks.
  • The negotiations are centered on President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework that ties a ceasefire and phased hostage releases to Hamas disarmament, an Israeli withdrawal and a post-war governance arrangement.
  • U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joined the talks alongside Qatar’s prime minister, Turkey’s intelligence chief and senior Israeli adviser Ron Dermer.
  • Key obstacles remain, including pressure on Hamas to disarm, the sequencing and timing of any Israeli pullback and disputes over freeing high-profile prisoners such as Marwan Barghouti.
  • Israeli operations continue during the talks, and Gaza’s health ministry reports more than 67,000 dead over two years, a toll the U.N. regards as a credible estimate.