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Third-party negotiations focused on achieving a lasting settlement on a Trump administration initiative to end the war in Gaza have begun in the mediation venue of the Egyptian resort town.

Palestinian and Egyptian officials have indicated that the discussions are concentrating on "creating the field conditions" for a anticipated transfer that would see the release of all detained individuals in exchange for a quantity of detained Palestinians.

Hamas has said it accepts the ceasefire initiative to some extent, but has failed to address several essential conditions - including its military demobilization and political participation in Gaza.

The government official said on Saturday that he expected to reveal the liberation of captives "shortly"

Conflict Timeline

The negotiations, which will feature regional and international officials facilitating discussions with representatives from both the two sides in isolation, take place on the approach of the 24-month point of the military operation on southern Israel on October 7th, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 individuals were captured.

The armed forces launched a campaign in Gaza in retaliation. Since then, over 67,000 have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza, as reported by the area's Hamas-run health ministry.

Proposal Framework

The comprehensive proposal, which has been approved by US President Donald Trump and the Netanyahu government, proposes an quick halt to combat and the freeing of 48 detained individuals, only 20 of whom are thought to be surviving, in return for numerous of detained Gazans.

The framework requires that once all involved approve the plan "complete assistance will be immediately sent into the Palestinian territory"

It also states that Hamas would have no participation in administering the territory, and it allows for an eventual Palestinian state.

Latest Updates

On Friday, the group answered to the initiative in a announcement, in which the group consented "to release all captured individuals, both surviving and deceased, according to the swap arrangement specified by the US initiative" - if the required situation for the transfers are satisfied.

It did not specifically mention or approve the detailed initiative but said it "renews its agreement to relinquish the management of the Palestinian territory to a Palestinian body of independents, based on Palestinian national consensus and regional endorsement"

The statement made no mention of one of the crucial requirements of the plan – that Hamas consent to its disarmament and to playing no further role in the leadership of Gaza.

International Response

Local residents characterized Hamas' response to the ceasefire proposal as unexpected, after days of suggestions that the group was considering denial or at least heavily condition its approval of Trump's peace plan proposal.

Conversely, the militant group omitted its customary boundaries in the public announcement, a action many consider a indication of outside forces.

Global and local representatives have endorsed the initiative. The governing body, which administers sections of the disputed regions, has called the Trump administration actions as "genuine and committed"

Iran - which has been one of the group's primary supporters for an extended period - has also now signalled its backing of the American initiative.

Current Situation

Military strikes continued in various locations of the conflict zone on recently prior to the talks beginning.

Defense personnel is carrying out an offensive in the urban area, which it has declared is aimed at securing the liberation of the still-detained individuals.

Mahmoud Basal, speaking for the territory's local emergency services, stated that "no aid trucks have been allowed into Gaza City since the military operations started four weeks ago"

"Remains persist we cannot access from areas under Israeli control" he said.

Countless residents of Gaza City have been forced to flee after the armed services required departures to a designated "humanitarian area" in the south, but hundreds of thousands more are considered to have persisted.

The defense representative has cautioned that those who remain during the military operation would be "militants and their backers"

In the recent period, 21 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and a another 96 wounded, the Hamas-run health ministry said in its current assessment.

International journalists have been banned by the government from entering the Palestinian territory autonomously since the start of the war, making confirming reports from the conflicting groups difficult.