The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel continued a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks in Egypt on 7 October, with Hamas making two major demands. U.S. President Donald Trump said on 7 October that there is a ¡°real chance¡± to reach an agreement.

Hamas makes two major demands

Hamas made two major demands in the talks on Saturday, one is that Israel permanently end its occupation of the Gaza Strip, which must be internationally guaranteed; and the other is that the release of Israeli detainees will be linked to the full withdrawal of Israeli troops.

In an interview with Egyptian Cairo News TV on Monday, Hamas' chief negotiator Khalil Ha'a said the Hamas delegation's goal in Egypt was clearly to end the conflict immediately and reach an exchange agreement.

He said that in the two years since the conflict broke out, Israel twice broke its promise of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, making it difficult for Hamas to trust each other.Israel must end its occupation of the Gaza Strip permanently, which must be mediated by the ¡°real guarantees¡± of the U.S. and regional countries.

A Hamas source told Xinhua Agency that the second day of negotiations mainly discussed the Israeli withdrawal map and the mechanism and timetable for the personnel exchange agreement. The Hamas delegation called for the release of Israeli detainees to be "directly linked" to the timetable for Israel's full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and emphasized that Hamas insisted that the timing of the last person's release must be consistent with the timing of Israel's completion of its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian security sources told Xinhua that the negotiations that day also discussed the transfer of governance power in the Gaza Strip. Regarding the future governance of the Gaza Strip, Hamas rejects any foreign troop deployment to the Gaza Strip, but welcomes Arab countries to coordinate with the Palestinian Authority. Hamas explicitly opposes letting former British Prime Minister Tony Blair be responsible for supervising the future governance of the Gaza Strip according to the "20-point plan" proposed by the United States.

According to the Egyptian Cairo news station, Hamas confirmed its willingness to release all surviving detainees and return the bodies of the dead, and reiterated its demands for the release of the leader of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (FATH), Malwan Barghouti, the General Secretary of the Palestinian People's Liberation Front, Ahmed Sadat, and the militant of Hamas, Hassan Salama, among others.

Trump: ¡°There is a real opportunity¡±

Trump said on the 7th that U.S. representatives participated in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Egypt."We are very close to reaching an agreement on the Middle East issue that will bring peace to the Middle East."

When Trump met with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Carney at the White House that day, he told reporters that he believed it was possible to achieve peace in the Middle East, not just in Gaza.

He added that ¡°we have a real opportunity to take some action¡± and that if Hamas and Israel do agree to end the war, the United States will ¡°do everything possible to ensure that all sides comply with the agreement.¡±

When asked what kind of security guarantees the United States was willing to provide, Trump promised to help but did not explain specific details.

Hamas and Israel started a new round of ceasefire negotiations in Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on the 6th. The negotiations were conducted indirectly, with Egypt, Qatar and the United States mediating. A number of media reported that the first day of negotiations ended "in a positive atmosphere". Both sides recognized the general principles of Trump's "20-point plan", namely ceasefire, release of detainees and allowing aid materials to enter the Gaza Strip. However, it is still difficult to reach consensus on some key issues.

The Israeli Prime Minister¡¯s office said on Monday that Israel was ¡°prudently optimistic¡± and defined the negotiations as ¡°technical negotiations on plans that have been approved by the two sides.¡±

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 7th that Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed will join the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip being held in Egypt on the 8th. Turkish official media reported that the Turkish delegation will also join the negotiations on the 8th.

Many call for an opportunity for a ceasefire.

On the 7th, many parties called on Hamas and Israel to seize the opportunity to advance negotiations, achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and promote lasting peace in the Middle East.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdulati held a joint press conference with visiting Slovenian Foreign Minister Fayon on the 7th, saying that this round of negotiations aims to reach an agreement on the first phase of the "20-point plan" for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip proposed by the United States, including the release of Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners. The negotiations also involved "ensuring full and unconditional access of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through United Nations channels and guaranteeing that Palestinians will not be displaced", as well as "establishing a security mechanism to guarantee the security of all parties, ensure the complete withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip, and Consolidate the path to just peace based on the'two-state solution '". "We hope that the ongoing negotiations will make significant progress to end this brutal war and stop the suffering of the Palestinian people." Abdulati said.

Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman Ansari said on the 7th that during the current round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations, the parties had several hours of in-depth discussions, and detailed arrangements such as the exchange of detained persons and access to humanitarian supplies still have to be reached. Agreement is still ongoing. As a mediator, Qatar knows that no solution can be applied to all parties, and Qatar will continue to work together with other mediators to push for an end to this conflict. The reconstruction of Gaza requires the support of the international community, but the future of Gaza and its people must be in the hands of the Palestinians, who should have the freedom and right to determine their own future. Hamas has set up an office in Doha to facilitate Qatar mediation, and it is too early to discuss Hamas 'future.

UN Secretary-General Guterres said on social media on Saturday that both sides should immediately and unconditionally release detainees, urging an immediate end to ¡°hostile operations¡± in Gaza and the Israeli region, and calling for a ¡°just and lasting peace¡± to ensure that Israel, Palestine and all the people in the region live in security and mutual respect.

Australian Prime Minister Albani said in a press statement on Monday that Australia was always involved in the international community¡¯s efforts to promote a ceasefire in Gaza, release detainees and provide assistance to support the settlement of the Israeli conflict through a ¡°two-country plan.¡± Albani said: ¡°We have a responsibility to do everything we can to ensure a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Israel and the Palestinian state should coexist peacefully and safely within international recognized borders.¡±