Qatar, Türkiye join Egypt talks as Trump pushes Gaza ceasefire plan

On October 8, Qatar’s prime minister and a Turkish delegation are set to join Hamas and Israeli negotiators in Egypt for a third consecutive day of indirect talks aimed at ending the Gaza war.

The discussions are taking place in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh and are based on a 20-point proposal outlined last month by US President Donald Trump, Caliber.Az reports, citing Arabic media.

“There’s a real chance that we could do something,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, confirming that US negotiators were also involved in the process.

“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 a release of the hostages immediately,” he added.

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

The latest round of talks coincides with Israel marking the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack, which triggered the ongoing conflict.

At the end 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, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data. Militants also abducted 251 people, with 47 still held in Gaza — 25 of whom the Israeli military believes are dead.

The war that followed has devastated Gaza, leaving much of the enclave in ruins and pushing it into what the UN describes as famine conditions. International pressure for a ceasefire has intensified amid continuing calls from Israeli hostage families for their relatives’ release.

A recent UN inquiry accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, while human rights organisations have accused Hamas of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 2023 assault. Both sides reject the allegations.

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

Trump’s proposal reportedly includes a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, Hamas’s disarmament, and a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Both Israel and Hamas have responded positively, prompting the ongoing indirect negotiations in Egypt.

A Palestinian source close to Hamas’s delegation said Tuesday’s (October 7) session focused on “the initial maps presented by the Israeli side regarding the withdrawal of troops as well as the mechanism and timetable for the hostage-prisoner exchange.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed that Trump’s special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, would join the talks on October 8. “The primary guarantee of success at this stage is US President Trump himself... even if it comes to a point to require him imposing a vision,” he said.

Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, will also attend, while Turkish media reported that intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will lead Ankara’s delegation.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 67,160 people have been killed during Israel’s campaign in the territory — figures the United Nations considers credible. The data does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but suggests that more than half of the dead are women and children.

By Aghakazim Guliyev