On the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that threw Israel and Gaza into a devastating war, negotiators from Israel and Hamas returned to the bargaining table in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The renewed indirect talks, held on October 6 and 7, 2025, have sparked a rare sense of optimism, with multiple sources telling Al Jazeera and other outlets that the initial sessions ended on a "positive note" and a roadmap for further discussions was drawn up.
The negotiations are centered on United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, a sweeping proposal aimed at halting the violence, securing the release of captives, and opening the door for humanitarian aid to enter the battered Gaza Strip. According to Egypt’s state-linked Al-Qahera News, the first day’s agenda included the proposed exchange of prisoners and hostages, a ceasefire, and the logistics of aid deliveries, all key components of Trump’s plan.
The context for these talks is grim. Since Hamas’s surprise incursion two years ago—which killed over 1,100 people in Israel and led to the abduction of around 200 hostages—Israeli forces have launched a relentless offensive in Gaza. The Palestinian death toll has soared to at least 67,160, with 169,679 wounded, according to Gaza’s health ministry figures cited by The Independent. The United Nations and several human rights organizations have described the scale of the violence as genocidal, with the civilian population bearing the brunt of the suffering.
Despite the ongoing violence—Israeli forces killed at least 10 Palestinians across Gaza on the very day talks resumed, including three individuals seeking humanitarian aid—the mood among negotiators and observers is cautiously hopeful. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged the somber anniversary, calling the Hamas attack an “abhorrent large-scale terror attack on Israel,” but also urging all sides to seize the opportunity presented by the new proposal. “A permanent ceasefire and a credible political process are essential to prevent further bloodshed and pave the way for peace,” Guterres wrote in a statement, as cited by Al Jazeera and The Independent.
At the heart of the negotiations is the exchange of hostages and prisoners. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that President Trump is pushing for the early release of both Israeli captives held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, hoping this first step will build "momentum" for the broader peace plan. “The technical teams are discussing that as we speak, to ensure that the environment is perfect to release those hostages,” Leavitt explained, adding that lists of both Israeli and Palestinian detainees were under review.
President Trump, speaking from the Oval Office on October 6, struck an upbeat tone, telling reporters, “We have a really good chance of making a deal,” though he also noted he still has his own “red lines.” Trump praised the joint Arab-Turkish efforts to keep Hamas at the table, complimented the Israeli people, and gave a nod to his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is leading the U.S. team. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and longtime advisor, is also reportedly part of the American delegation, according to Al Jazeera.
On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance has been the subject of speculation. While some reports suggested U.S. pressure on Netanyahu to adopt a more positive approach, Trump dismissed those claims in an exchange with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, saying, “He’s been very positive on the deal… this is a deal that, incredibly, everyone just came together. They all came together. No, Israel’s been great. They’ve all been good.”
Yet public sentiment in Israel is shifting. A recent poll cited by The Independent found that 66% of Israelis believe the time has come to end the war, and 64% want Netanyahu to accept responsibility for the events of October 7 and resign. On Tuesday, as talks continued, Israelis gathered for vigils and memorials, lighting candles at the site of the Nova festival—where 378 people were killed and dozens taken hostage during the initial attack—and marching in Jerusalem to demand the return of loved ones still held in Gaza.
The Palestinian delegation in Egypt includes senior Hamas leaders Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin, both of whom survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha last month that killed five others. According to Al Jazeera Arabic, Hamas negotiators have insisted that Israel’s continued bombing of Gaza is a major obstacle to progress, particularly regarding the release of captives.
Palestinian deputy foreign minister Omar Awadallah told The Independent that the talks have brought “positive signals” and that “we are the closest to an agreement since January,” when the last temporary truce was reached. Awadallah outlined the immediate priorities: the release of hostages and prisoners, large-scale entry of humanitarian aid, withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a halt to the fighting. “For these initial stages, the atmosphere is optimistic,” he said, but he stressed the need for “action plans, time lines and time tables.” Without a clear timeframe for Israeli withdrawal, he warned, the risk is “de facto occupation of Gaza” and further isolation of the territory.
On the Palestinian side, concerns linger over Netanyahu’s negotiating tactics. Awadallah accused the Israeli prime minister of “playing tricks” and “sabotaging any peaceful solution in the Middle East.” He emphasized that “Gaza is integral to the state of Palestine,” rejecting any solution that divides the Palestinian people or isolates the Gaza Strip from the rest of the occupied territories.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deepen. The United Nations has described the situation as “a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale that defied comprehension.” Numbers alone can’t capture the toll: tens of thousands dead, neighborhoods reduced to rubble, and families torn apart by violence, displacement, and loss. Hamas, in a statement marking the anniversary, described the past two years as “two years of pain, injustice, oppression and great suffering, of heavy costs,” and criticized what it called “shameful international silence and complicity and unprecedented Arab failure.”
Despite the skepticism and ongoing bloodshed, there are signs of hope. Families of hostages held in Gaza have even endorsed President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, expressing for the first time in months that “we are hopeful that our nightmare will finally be over” as his plan is debated in Egypt. “We are confident that [Trump] will not rest until the last hostage is brought home, the war has ended, and peace and prosperity are restored to the people of the Middle East,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum wrote in a statement to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
As the talks resume, negotiators from Israel, Hamas, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States face daunting challenges, from establishing a lasting ceasefire to ensuring the safe release of hostages and the delivery of desperately needed aid. The world watches, hoping that this anniversary—marked by both mourning and resolve—might finally signal a turning point in a conflict that has already taken too many lives.
