ISLAMABAD: Qatar's prime minister and Turkish delegates will join Hamas and Israeli negotiators in Egypt on Wednesday for a third day of talks aimed at ending the Gaza war, AFP reported.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are being held at the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, based on a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump last month.
‘There’s a possibility’: Trump
President Trump on Tuesday pledged US support for Gaza security guarantees and said he believes a deal is close to being completed for the remaining hostages, Reuters reported.
Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, "I think there's a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East" beyond just Gaza. He said he would discuss Gaza with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
"We are very close to making a deal on the Middle East that will bring peace to the Middle East after all of these years," Trump said at the start of an Oval Office meeting with Carney.
Asked what security guarantees the United States was willing to offer, Trump pledged help without providing specifics.
"We are going to do everything possible — we have a lot of power — and we're going to do everything possible to make sure everybody adheres to the deal," he said.
Global pressure
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, AFP reported.
A UN probe last month accused Israel of genocide.
Hamas's top negotiator, Khalil El-Hayya, said the group wants "guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all".
Trump's plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages, Hamas's disarmament, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The plan received positive responses from both Israel and Hamas and prompted indirect talks in Egypt since Monday.
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".
Steve Witkoff to join talks
On Wednesday, Trump's special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will join the talks, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
"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 stated that its prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, would attend. In contrast, Turkish state media reported that the country's Intelligence Chief, Ibrahim Kalin, would lead a delegation to Egypt.
Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 67,160 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Gaza, figures the United Nations considers credible.
