What’s the latest on the high-stakes Egypt talks for a Gaza ceasefire?

Israel and Hamas entered a third day of peace talks at an Egyptian resort on Wednesday, with more senior officials from the United States, Israel and mediating countries expected to join — a sign that negotiators aim to tackle the toughest issues of an American plan to end the war in Gaza.

Qatar’s prime minister and top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, was heading to the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh to join the talks.

Also expected on Wednesday were Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to a US official who was not authorised to speak to reporters because the trip has not yet been formally announced.

From Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top adviser, Ron Dermer, was also to join, an Israeli official said.

What do they want?

Hamas wants a permanent, comprehensive ceasefire, a complete pullout of Israeli forces and the immediate start of a comprehensive reconstruction process under the supervision of a Palestinian "national technocratic body".

Israel, for its part, wants Hamas to disarm, which the group rejects.

US officials suggest they want to initially focus talks on a halt to the fighting and the logistics of how the Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian detainees in Israel would be freed.

Prisoner lists exchanged

Hamas said on Wednesday that it exchanged with Israel the lists of Palestinian prisoners to be released, as Gaza ceasefire negotiations continued in Egypt’s Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

“Today, lists of prisoners to be released were exchanged in accordance with the agreed criteria and numbers,” Taher al-Nunu, a media adviser to the Hamas chief, said in a statement on Telegram.

He said the negotiations “focused on mechanisms for ending the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza, and the exchange of prisoners”, adding that “a spirit of optimism prevails among all parties.”

Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan

On September 29, Trump unveiled a 20-point proposal that includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas, and the rebuilding of Gaza. Hamas agreed to the plan in principle.

The plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and release of the 48 hostages Hamas still holds from their October 7, 2023, cross-border attack on Israel.

It envisages Israel withdrawing its troops from Gaza after Hamas disarms, and an international security force being put in place.

Mediators express optimism

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi said on Wednesday that Gaza ceasefire negotiations “are moving positively” and invited Trump to attend the signing of the agreement in Egypt if reached. “It would be wonderful to have you here,” he added.

Hamas says it is seeking firm guarantees from Trump and mediators that Israel will not resume its brutal occupation in Gaza after the group releases the remaining hostages.

Netanyahu has accepted Trump’s plan, with his office saying Israel was “cautiously optimistic.”

A previous ceasefire in January had led to limited hostage exchanges, but broke down in March when Israel resumed its bombardment.

Hamas can’t do this alone, says Erdogan

Türkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye has been asked by Trump to help convince Hamas to support his plan to end Gaza’s war.

Turkish officials, including intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, are taking part in the negotiations in Egypt.

“We have been in contact with Hamas throughout this process,” Erdogan said, adding that Türkiye is explaining “what needs to be done for Palestine to march with commitment into the future.”

He stressed it was neither fair nor realistic to put the burden of peace solely on Hamas, saying, “Peace is not a bird with a single wing.”

Israeli strikes intensify despite ceasefire push

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have killed 118 Palestinians over the past four days in air and artillery strikes across besieged Gaza, defying a call by US President Donald Trump to halt the bombardments, the Gaza Government Media Office said.

Between dawn on Saturday, October 4 and the end of Tuesday, October 7, Israel carried out more than 230 air and artillery strikes targeting densely populated civilian and displacement areas across Gaza's governorates, according to the statement.

Among the 118 civilians killed in the strikes were women and children, with 72 fatalities reported in Gaza City alone, the media office added.

Israeli forces have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023.

The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable, leading to mass displacement, starvation, and disease.