By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Steve Holland
CAIRO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that a deal to end the war in Gaza was "very close" and that he might travel to Egypt this weekend, as his envoys joined talks in Egypt to try to seal a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement.
With Trump's 20-point plan appearing closer than any previous bid to halt the two-year-old conflict, delegations upgraded their presence at the indirect talks, launched on Monday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Trump offered an upbeat assessment, saying a deal was almost done and that he may travel to the Middle East this weekend, possibly leaving as soon as Saturday, if an agreement is reached. He later clarified that he might go to Egypt and the trip likely would be before or just after hostages are released.
"I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we're very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they're going to need me pretty quickly," Trump said during a White House event.
It marked the most promising effort yet to end the war in Gaza, as Hamas on Wednesday handed over its lists of hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be freed in a swap with Israel.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived and began participation in the negotiations, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.
Also joining the discussions was the prime minister of longstanding mediator Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, according to Egyptian sources.
Despite the hopes raised for ending the war, crucial details are yet to be spelled out, including the timing, a post-war administration for the Gaza Strip and the fate of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Gaza authorities say more than 67,000 people have been killed and much of the enclave has been flattened since Israel began its military response to the Hamas cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage back to Gaza, according to Israeli officials, with 20 of the 48 hostages still held believed to be alive.
RUBIO TAKES MORE CAUTIOUS VIEW
Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio took a more cautious view than his boss.
In comments to reporters on Capitol Hill before Trump spoke, Rubio said: "Events are moving in a good direction, but there's still some work to be done. We've been here before in the past and been disappointed."
In parallel with the Sharm el-Sheikh talks, Arab and other states will meet in Paris on Thursday to discuss Gaza's post-war transition, with Washington likely to be represented, diplomatic sources said.
Hamas said on Wednesday it had handed over its lists of hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be exchanged in a swap, and was optimistic about the talks so far.
The list of Palestinians Hamas wants freed is expected to include some of the most prominent prisoners ever jailed by Israel, whose release had been off limits in previous ceasefires.
According to a Palestinian source close to the talks, the list includes Marwan al-Barghouti, a leader of the Fatah movement, and Ahmed Saadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Both are serving multiple life sentences for involvement in attacks that killed Israelis.
Hamas says the indirect negotiations were focused so far on three issues: halting the conflict, withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza and the swap deal.
The group has so far refused to discuss Israel's demand that Hamas give up its arms, which the Palestinian source said Hamas would reject as long as Israeli troops occupy Palestinian land.
Two sources familiar with the talks confirmed that sticking points included the mechanism for the Israeli withdrawal, with Hamas seeking a clear timeline linked to the release of hostages and guarantees of a complete withdrawal by Israeli forces.
ISRAEL DIALS DOWN ITS OFFENSIVE
Within Gaza, Israel has dialled down its military campaign at Trump's behest, but it has not halted strikes altogether. The Israeli military said its forces had killed several militants in Gaza City, Gaza's main urban hub, who it said were on their way to attack Israeli soldiers.
Gaza medical authorities reported eight people killed in Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, the lowest toll for weeks. Daily death tolls had been around 10 times as high over the past month as Israeli forces advance on Gaza City.
"We hope from God that a ceasefire would take place as soon as possible, because people can't bear the suffering anymore," said Jehad al-Shagnobi, whose house was destroyed in the Sabra district of Gaza City.
Another participant in the talks was Turkish spymaster Ibrahim Kalin, Egyptian sources said. This pointed to a growing role for Turkey, a NATO member with close contacts with Hamas. President Tayyip Erdogan said Trump had asked Turkey to help persuade Hamas to accept the deal.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday that the negotiations had made "a lot of headway."
ARAB COUNTRIES SAY PLAN MUST LEAD TO PALESTINIAN STATE
Trump's plan calls for an international body led by Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to play a role in Gaza's post-war administration. Arab countries which back the plan say it must lead to eventual independence for a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu says will never happen.
There is no clear indication who will rule Gaza when the war ends. Netanyahu, Trump, Western and Arab states have ruled out a role for Hamas, which has run Gaza since driving out Palestinian rivals in 2007.
Hamas has said it would relinquish Gaza governance only to a Palestinian technocrat government supervised by the Palestinian Authority and backed by Arab and Muslim countries. It rejects any role for Blair or foreign rule of Gaza.
Global outrage has mounted against Israel's assault. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defence after the 2023 Hamas attack.
(Reporting by Dawoud Abu Elkas, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Daren Butler in Ankara, Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan in Dubai, Maayan Lubell and Alexander Cornwell in Jerusalem, John Irish in Paris, Angelo Amante in Rome, Trevor Hunnicutt Steve Holland and David Morgan in Washington; Writing by Michael Georgy, Peter Graff, and Timothy Heritage and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Alex Richardson, Philippa Fletcher, Nick Zieminski and Diane Craft)
