The negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh between Hamas and Israel entered their third day (Wednesday), with the participation of Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman and Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan revealed that his American counterpart Donald Trump asked Ankara to “talk to Hamas and convince them,” adding, “We support Trump’s efforts for peace.” Erdoğan stated that Turkey is participating directly for the first time in mediation efforts to ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and that they are communicating with Hamas to explain the best path for Palestine’s future.

In statements reported by the official Anadolu news agency, Erdoğan emphasized that the Gaza Strip must remain Palestinian and be governed by Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Taher Al-Nunu, media advisor to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, disclosed that the movement exchanged lists of prisoners to be released according to agreed criteria and numbers. He stated that the negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh focused on mechanisms to end the war, Israeli occupation withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and prisoner exchange.

Al-Nunu added that the Hamas delegation showed the necessary positivity and responsibility to achieve the required progress and finalize the agreement, confirming that mediators are making great efforts to remove any obstacles to implementing the ceasefire. He noted a spirit of optimism among all parties, with indirect negotiations continuing involving all parties and mediators.

In the meantime, informed sources revealed that there are outstanding issues between negotiators in Sharm El-Sheikh, including Hamas’s demand for the release of elite members as part of the prisoner deal and the release of six leaders including Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat.

Hamas also demands Israeli withdrawal from populated areas to hand over prisoners and bodies and insists that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must not return to war after the prisoner handover. Maps of Israeli withdrawal phases remain among the unresolved issues.

Sources indicated that handing over the bodies of detainees will take longer than the timeframe set by Trump’s plan.

Hamas stressed the need for guarantees that any agreement reached would put an end to the war that caused massive destruction in the Gaza Strip and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Khalil al-Hayya, the movement’s chief negotiator, said Hamas wants guarantees from Trump and sponsoring countries to end the war forever, affirming that historically the Israeli occupation does not keep its promises.

The movement confirmed its acceptance to release detainees and to have an independent Palestinian authority manage Gaza, but did not address the issue of disarmament. It emphasized the need to discuss the plan’s clauses related to the “future of the Strip.”