Sawt Falasteen - Trump says may go to Middle East, with Gaza deal 'very close'

Trump, whose 20-point peace proposal forms the basis of the talks in the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, said a peace deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas is "very close".

"Negotiations are going along very well," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday," he added. "'Peace for the Middle East,' that's a beautiful phrase, and we hope it's going to come true."

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi -- who has invited Trump to travel to Egypt if a deal is reached -- said signs from the talks were "encouraging", while Hamas, too, expressed "optimism" over the indirect discussions with its foe Israel.

Both warring sides have responded positively to Trump's plan, which calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages held in Gaza, Hamas's disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the territory.

Al-Qahera News, which is close to Egypt's intelligence services, reported that the evening sessions for Wednesday's talks had begun.

Egyptian state-linked media earlier aired footage of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff pulling up to the talks.

- 'Optimism prevails' -

As night fell in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, an AFP contributor described an atmosphere of anticipation, with joyful chants of "Allahu akbar" (God is the greatest) and some celebratory gunfire into the air.

"We want the war to end as soon as possible," said 50-year-old Mohammed Zamlot, who had been displaced from northern Gaza.

"We're closely following every bit of news about the negotiations and the ceasefire."

Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP from Sharm El-Sheikh that "mediators are making great efforts to remove any obstacles to the implementation of the ceasefire, and a spirit of optimism prevails".

The militant group submitted a list of Palestinian prisoners it wants released from Israeli jails in the first phase of the truce, "in accordance with the agreed-upon criteria and numbers", Nunu added.

In exchange, Hamas is set to free the remaining 47 hostages, both alive and dead, who were seized in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin were also expected at the talks on Wednesday, while Hamas said it would be joined by delegations from Islamic Jihad -- which has also held some of the hostages in Gaza -- as well as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The negotiations were taking place under the shadow of the second anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also took 251 people hostage into Gaza, where 47 remain, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,183 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.

The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that over half of the dead are women and children.

The territory's civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said the bombardment of Gaza had not stopped.

An AFP journalist in Israel near the Gaza border reported hearing multiple explosions in the morning.

- Protests, prisoners -

Global pressure to end the war has escalated, with much of Gaza flattened, a UN-declared famine unfolding and Israeli hostage families still longing for their loved ones' return.

In Israel, people marked the second anniversary of the October 7 attack with music, tears and speeches.

In Gaza, meanwhile, people were desperate for an end to a war that has upended their lives, interrupted their children's education, and left many families scarred by loss and grief.

A UN probe last month accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, while rights groups have accused Hamas of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the October 7 attack. Both sides reject the allegations.

Key to the negotiations will be the names of the Palestinian prisoners Hamas will push for.

According to Egyptian state-linked media, high-profile inmate Marwan Barghouti -- from Hamas's rival, the Fatah movement -- is among those the group wants to see released.

He has been imprisoned since 2002, and was sentenced to life in 2004 on murder charges.

Regarded as a terrorist by Israel, he often tops opinion polls of popular Palestinian leaders and is sometimes described by his supporters as the "Palestinian Mandela".

Hamas's top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, also said the Islamist group wants "guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all".

A Palestinian source close to the Hamas negotiating team said Tuesday's session included Hamas discussing "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".

"Our final negotiation, as you know, is with Hamas, and it seems to be going well," Trump said.

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