All sides signal optimism as Trump envoys Witkoff & Kushner join Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations in Egypt

Top officials from several countries converged on the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday, as all sides signaled optimism that an agreement for an end to the Gaza War could be reached within the coming days.

With Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer set to join the talks on Wednesday, an official from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told The Times of Israel that there was “optimism, but very cautious,” but warned that “Hamas can add obstacles at any moment and leave.”

From the U.S. side, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, joined the talks, a signal that progress had been made.

The news outlet Axios cited U.S. officials who also expressed “cautious optimism” that a deal could be reached by the end of the week, adding that they wouldn’t leave Egypt without an agreement.

“Bibi has done an excellent job. The military pressure was critical to make Hamas more pragmatic. But now Bibi must understand that the time for a deal has come,” a senior U.S. official told the outlet.

A senior Hamas official told the French AFP that there was "optimism" regarding the talks, while the correspondent for Sky News Arabia described the atmosphere in the negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh as "very positive," while citing diplomatic and security sources.

The talks between Hamas and Israel have, once again, been conducted in an indirect manner, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, whose Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, joined the talks as well.

The intelligence heads of Egypt and Turkey also traveled to Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday.

The arrival of senior officials from all involved countries signals that significant progress has been made, after Hamas partially accepted the 20-point U.S. proposal but demanded negotiations over several points.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told the Saudi news outlet Al-Arabiya on Wednesday that “strong, written international guarantees” would be needed to ensure Israel met its obligations under an agreement.

Al-Ansari added that Qatar wants to make sure Israel will indeed withdraw from the Gaza Strip, allow in more aid, and permanently end the war.

He also claimed that while the sides agreed on the 20 points of the plan, “the devil is in the details, as they say in English.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, among major points Hamas wants to negotiate is a fixed timetable of the Israeli withdrawal, as well as specific points to which the IDF will withdraw.

While Israeli troops are withdrawing, Hamas also wants guarantees for freedom of movement across the Gaza Strip, claiming this is necessary to collect the living hostages as well as the bodies of the murdered prior to their handover.

The terror group also aims to include as many big-name prisoners as possible on the list of terrorists that Israel is set to free in exchange for the hostages.

Compared to previous exchanges, the 250 prisoners the proposal calls for are relatively few, but Hamas wants to include high-profile leaders like Marwan Barghouti, while also demanding the bodies of its former military leaders, the brothers Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar.