Hamas leaders and mediators from Egypt, the US, Qatar and Turkey are engaged in wide-ranging discussions in Cairo to iron out potential hurdles in the next phase of President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, sources told The National on Tuesday.
They said topics under discussion include Hamas's disarmament, the mandate of a proposed international peacekeeping force to be deployed in Gaza and the 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats who would run the day-to-day affairs of the enclave.
The remit of the talks underlines the number of difficulties that lie ahead, as mediators strive for a permanent end to the two-year conflict, which has killed nearly 70,000 Palestinians and laid waste to most of the territory's built-up areas.
The shattered lives of displaced Palestinian children have been compounded by the onset of wintry weather at a camp in Deir Al Balah, Gaza. AFP
The war was triggered by the deadly, Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel has been accused of committing genocide in Gaza and starving the strip's 2.3 million residents, charges it denies.
The war was paused on October 10 when the US and its three close allies brokered a ceasefire plan under a plan presented by Mr Trump.
Israel and Hamas have enacted a hostages-for-prisoners swap, with the militant group freeing 20 liv
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