Hamas, Israel exchange lists for prisoner swap

CAIRO: Hamas announced on Wednesday that it had exchanged lists of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners as part of ongoing negotiations over a potential swap deal, expressing optimism about progress in talks on US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Gaza war.

According to the group, discussions in Egypt are centered on the mechanism to halt hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the prisoner exchange framework.

A Palestinian source close to the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh told Reuters that the timing for implementing the first phase of Trump’s proposed peace initiative had yet to be finalized. Trump voiced optimism on Tuesday—the second anniversary of the October 7 conflict—about prospects for an agreement that could bring an end to the war.

A US delegation, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former Middle East envoy, is participating in the negotiations. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was also expected to join the discussions.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin are mediating alongside Egyptian officials, underscoring the diplomatic weight behind the talks.

Hamas has demanded a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal, and the immediate launch of Gaza’s reconstruction under a Palestinian technocratic authority. Israel, however, insists that Hamas must first disarm—an option the group rejects unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established.

US officials have indicated that the initial focus will be on achieving a humanitarian ceasefire and finalizing the logistics for the exchange of captives and detainees.

Meanwhile, Israel has continued its military offensive in Gaza despite mounting international pressure and accusations of genocide.

Rights experts, UN investigators, and humanitarian organizations report that the 2023–25 war has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians—most of them women and children—displaced nearly the entire population, and triggered widespread starvation and disease across the besieged enclave.