Key US and regional mediators join talks in push to end Gaza war#russiaukrainewar #usa #shorts

Top US envoys and regional figures have taken part in the third day of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt on President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza.

Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday along with Qatar's prime minister and Turkey's intelligence chief as they sought to bridge the gaps that could derail a breakthrough.

A senior Hamas official told the BBC it had shown "the necessary positivity" in the negotiations and submitted a list of the Palestinian prisoners it wanted Israel to release in exchange for the hostages held in Gaza.

Israeli media cited officials as expressing optimism for a deal.

It came a day after Trump said they were "very close to making a deal".

The first two days of the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have focused on mechanisms for ending the two-year-long war in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory, and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza.

It is hoped that the presence of heavyweight negotiators will add to the momentum for a deal.

Witkoff and Kushner, who served as Trump's Middle East adviser during his first term, flew into Sharm el-Sheikh early on Wednesday.

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi called their arrival "very encouraging", saying they came "with a strong will, a strong message, and a strong mandate from President Trump to end the war in this round of negotiations".

Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and the director of Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation, Ibrahim Kalin, also joined the talks on Wednesday.

And Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly arrived in the afternoon to lead the Israeli delegation.

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Representatives from two other Palestinian armed groups, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), were also present.

Their involvement appeared to be an attempt by Hamas to keep them in line and secure the release of the hostages they are believed to be holding.

A senior Hamas official told the BBC on Wednesday morning that its delegation had submitted a list of the Palestinian prisoners it wanted Israel to release in exchange for the 48 hostages still held in Gaza, up to 20 of whom are still alive.

The list included several of the most prominent Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat.

Barghouti, who is seen as a potential successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, is serving five life sentences plus 40 years after being convicted in 2004 of planning attacks that led to five civilians being killed.

Saadat, the leader of the PLFP, was sentenced to 30 years after being convicted in 2008 of heading an "illegal terrorist organisation" and involvement in attacks, including the assassination of an Israeli minister in 2001.

The Hamas official who spoke to the BBC said the group had "shown the necessary positivity and responsibility to achieve the required progress and complete the agreement", but acknowledged that differences remained between the two sides.

"Mediators are making major efforts to remove any obstacles to implementing a ceasefire," he added, noting that "a spirit of optimism is spreading among all participants."

However, a Palestinian official familiar with talks told the BBC that there were "deep gaps" over how Hamas and Israel interpreted Trump's 20-point peace plan.

The official said disagreements had emerged over nearly all the key issues, including the map showing the three phases of Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza, and the timetable for the hostage-prisoner exchange.

On Wednesday afternoon, mediators presented a withdrawal map described as a compromise between Hamas' demand for troops to pull back to positions they held in March and Israel's demand to stick to the map distributed by the White House last week, which left about 55% of Gaza under Israeli control during the first phase.

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