Egyptian Media Outline Key Points of Dispute Between Israel and Hamas in Sharm El-Sheikh

Egypt’s Cairo News channel reported that a new round of negotiations between Israel and Hamas has commenced in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, as part of efforts to finalize a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and complete a prisoner exchange deal.

The talks are centered on two main issues:

1. Finalizing the list of Palestinian prisoners to be included in the exchange agreement.
2. Establishing a framework for the initial withdrawal of Israeli forces from specific areas in Gaza, as part of the first phase of the plan.

Israel insists on excluding the release of Hamas special forces fighters who participated in the October 7 attacks and is demanding veto power over the selection of prisoners, including prominent leaders known as the “Big Seven”: Marwan Barghouti, Abdullah Barghouti, Ibrahim Hamed, Ahmed Saadat, Hassan Salameh, Abbas al-Sayed, and Nael Barghouti.

The Palestinian side has expressed doubts about the “red line” in the proposed map, which pertains to the route of Israeli forces’ withdrawal from Gaza.