Qatar, Turkey to Join Third Day of Gaza Peace Talks in Egypt

Qatar’s Prime Minister and a Turkish delegation will join Hamas and Israeli negotiators in Egypt on Wednesday for a third consecutive day of talks aimed at ending the Gaza war.

The indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are taking place in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, based on a 20-point peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump last month.

“There’s a real chance that we could do something,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, adding that US envoys were also participating in the discussions. “I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East. It’s something even beyond the Gaza situation. We want an immediate release of the hostages.”

Trump said the United States would do “everything possible to make sure everyone adheres to the deal” if Hamas and Israel reach a ceasefire agreement.

The talks come as Israel marks the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack, which triggered the war. At the close of the Jewish festival of Sukkot in 2023, Hamas-led militants launched the deadliest assault in Israel’s history, killing 1,219 people—mostly civilians—and taking 251 hostages into Gaza. Of those, 47 remain captive, including 25 whom Israel says are dead.

Global pressure to end the war has intensified amid widespread destruction in Gaza, a UN-declared famine, and ongoing anguish among Israeli families of hostages. A recent UN investigation accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, while rights groups have charged Hamas with war crimes and crimes against humanity during the October 7 attack. Both sides deny the allegations.

Hamas negotiator Khalil El-Hayya said the group seeks “guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all.”

Trump’s proposal calls for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, Hamas’s disarmament, and a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Both Israel and Hamas have responded positively, leading to the start of indirect talks in Egypt earlier this week.

A Palestinian source close to the Hamas delegation said Tuesday’s discussions involved reviewing Israeli-proposed maps outlining troop withdrawal zones and the framework for a hostage-prisoner exchange.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed that Trump’s special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will join Wednesday’s session. “The primary guarantee of success at this stage is President Trump himself, even if it requires him to impose his vision,” Abdelatty said.

Qatar announced that its Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, will attend the talks, while Turkish state media reported that intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will lead Ankara’s delegation.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,160 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory—a figure the United Nations deems credible. The data does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.