Overview

• Indirect negotiations opened on Oct. 6 in Sharm el-Sheikh and continued into Oct. 7 with no agreement announced.
• The first-phase agenda centers on procedures for releasing hostages and a partial Israeli military withdrawal, with Hamas seeking guarantees that withdrawals proceed after any releases.
• The U.S. plan envisions an immediate halt to hostilities upon agreement, Hamas freeing all hostages within 72 hours, and Israel releasing more than 1,900 Palestinian detainees.
• Longer-term elements include phased Israeli pullbacks and degrading Hamas’s military infrastructure, while Hamas signals resistance to disarmament and governance terms for later stages.
• President Trump voiced confidence a deal will be reached, as the talks unfold under intense pressure from a two-year humanitarian crisis in Gaza, roughly 67,000 reported dead, and ongoing public demands for a cease-fire with about 48 Israeli hostages still held.