Officials from the United States, Israel, and Qatar are optimistic that a deal to end the war in Gaza could be reached this week, several sources involved in or briefed on the ongoing talks in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, told Axios.
The progress in the talks comes despite the highly sensitive nature of the issues under debate, such as the terms of Israel’s military withdrawal from Gaza and the identities of Palestinian prisoners to be released.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in the Egyptian resort city on Wednesday morning to represent the United States in the talks, the report said.
On Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi invited U.S. President Donald Trump to attend signing if a deal was reached. “If an agreement is reached between Israel and Hamas, come to Egypt — come to Sharm El-Sheikh — and sign the peace deal here.”
Other participants include negotiating teams from Israel and Hamas, the prime minister of Qatar, and the intelligence chiefs from Turkey and Egypt.
The goal is to announce an agreement this week and begin releasing Israeli hostages next week, according to a source familiar with the talks cited by Axios.
Two White House officials said there has been good progress and that an agreement could be reached within days. A senior Israeli official gave a similar assessment, stating, “There is progress. We feel cautious optimism.”
However, Israeli officials cast doubt on an assessment from Turkey’s foreign minister that a ceasefire could be announced as early as Wednesday.
The source familiar with the talks said the Qatari mediators believe an agreement could be reached by Friday.
Any initial agreement is expected to focus on the hostage and prisoner exchange, an initial Israeli withdrawal, and the cessation of hostilities in Gaza. Other complex issues, such as the process for disarming Hamas and the future governance of the enclave, will likely be negotiated separately at a later stage, the report added.
