CAIRO: Hamas said Wednesday that “optimism” was prevailing in indirect talks with Israel aimed at ending the Gaza war, with the militant group submitting a list of prisoners it wants released in exchange for freeing Israeli hostages under a deal.
The talks aim to thrash out a plan to implement a 20-point peace proposal put forward last month by US President Donald Trump, to which both Israel and Hamas have responded positively.
The plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
“The mediators are making great efforts to remove any obstacles to the implementation of the ceasefire, and a spirit of optimism prevails among all parties,” senior Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu told AFP from Sharm El-Sheikh.
The Palestinian militant group submitted a list of prisoners it wants to be released in the first phase of the truce “in accordance with the agreed-upon criteria and numbers,” Nunu added.
