Overview

• Indirect negotiations resumed Tuesday with a technical focus on finalizing hostage lists and initial exchange mechanisms, with sessions expected to run for several days.
• Egypt’s foreign minister said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will join the talks on Wednesday, as Cairo presses for a UN Security Council resolution endorsing the U.S. plan and explores an international security presence.
• Israel insists on an initial pullback only to a defined “yellow line” in Gaza with any further withdrawals tied to conditions, while maintaining demands to neutralize Hamas’s military capability.
• Hamas voices doubts that Israel will commit to a permanent ceasefire and rejects surrendering weapons in advance of an end to occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
• The first round concluded in a positive atmosphere, humanitarian losses remain catastrophic with at least 67,160 Palestinians reported killed and tens of billions in damage, and Fatah moved to readmit Nasser Al‑Qudwa in a step toward internal reconciliation.