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Mediated discussions working toward a comprehensive deal on a Trump administration initiative to end the war in Gaza have commenced in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Local and international officials have stated that the meetings are concentrating on "preparing the environment" for a potential swap that would result in the freeing of all captured Israelis in exchange for a group of incarcerated individuals.

Officials declared it consents to the negotiation framework to some extent, but has not responded to several essential conditions - particularly its weapons surrender and future role in Gaza.

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

Conflict Timeline

The talks, which will involve Egyptian and Qatari officials holding shuttle meetings with delegations from both the conflicting parties separately, take place on the verge of the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were lost their lives and 251 people were seized.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in countermeasure. Following the initial attack, over 67,000 have been lost their lives by armed interventions in Gaza, as reported by the region's Hamas-run health ministry.

Proposal Framework

The 20-point plan, which has been agreed upon by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outlines an immediate end to hostilities and the release of 48 detained individuals, only a portion are believed to be living, in compensation of multiple hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The proposal specifies that once the two parties agree to the initiative "humanitarian support will be promptly delivered into the conflict zone"

It also states that the militant group would have no role in governing Gaza, and it leaves the door open an future Palestinian sovereignty.

Recent Developments

Recently, officials replied to the proposal in a declaration, in which the group agreed "to release all Israeli prisoners, both surviving and deceased, in accordance with the exchange formula outlined in the US initiative" - if the required situation for the transfers are met.

It failed to address or accept Trump's 20-point plan but said it "reaffirms its commitment to hand over the management of the Palestinian territory to a Palestinian body of technocrats, established through regional unity and Arab and Islamic support"

The declaration omitted reference of one of the crucial requirements of the plan – that the militant group accept its military demobilization and to playing no further role in the governance of Gaza.

Regional Reactions

Local residents characterized Hamas' response to the peace plan as unexpected, after an extended period of suggestions that the group was considering denial or at least significantly qualify its endorsement of the US framework.

Instead, the militant group refrained from including its customary boundaries in the formal declaration, a move many consider a sign of outside forces.

European and Middle Eastern representatives have supported the initiative. The Palestinian Authority, which controls sections of the disputed regions, has characterized the US president's efforts as "authentic and resolute"

Iran - which has been one of Hamas's main sponsors for decades - has also recently indicated its endorsement of the US proposal.

Current Situation

Israeli bombardment persisted in multiple areas of the Palestinian territory on Monday before the discussions commencing.

Israeli forces is implementing an offensive in the urban area, which it has said is designed to achieving the freeing of the still-detained individuals.

A spokesperson, representing the territory's local emergency services, reported that "humanitarian convoys have been allowed into the metropolitan area since the campaign commenced recently"

"There are still bodies we cannot access from locations under defense force authority" he said.

Hundreds of thousands of Gaza City have been required to leave after the armed services mandated relocations to a specified safe zone in the southern region, but additional numerous individuals are believed to have remained.

The defense representative has cautioned that those who remain during the combat campaign would be "terrorists and supporters of terror"

In the previous day, 21 residents have been lost their lives in Gaza and a another 96 injured, the Hamas-run health ministry said in its current assessment.

Foreign correspondents have been restricted by the government from accessing the Gaza Strip autonomously since the commencement of the conflict, making confirming reports from both sides difficult.