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Indirect talks working toward a lasting settlement on a US peace plan to stop the conflict in Gaza have commenced in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Middle Eastern and regional officials have stated that the sessions are focused on "preparing the environment" for a potential swap that would see the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for a quantity of Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas has said it agrees to the ceasefire initiative to some extent, but has failed to address several essential conditions - particularly its weapons surrender and governance position in Gaza.

The Israeli leader said on the weekend that he expected to reveal the release of hostages "shortly"

Historical Framework

The discussions, which will involve Middle Eastern officials conducting mediation with teams from both the two sides in isolation, come on the approach of the two-year mark of the armed assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were fatally wounded and 251 others were taken hostage.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response. From that point, 67,160 have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza, based on data from the region's local health authorities.

Peace Plan Details

The detailed initiative, which has been agreed upon by US President Donald Trump and the Netanyahu government, outlines an immediate end to combat and the release of 48 hostages, only 20 individuals are considered surviving, in return for multiple hundreds of incarcerated individuals.

The framework requires that once both sides accept the plan "full aid will be immediately sent into the conflict zone"

It also specifies that Hamas would have no role in political leadership, and it permits an eventual Palestinian state.

Recent Developments

Recently, officials replied to the proposal in a statement, in which the group approved "to release all detainees, both surviving and deceased, according to the swap arrangement contained in the US initiative" - if the required situation for the transfers are met.

It did not specifically mention or endorse the comprehensive proposal but said it "restates its approval to transfer the administration of the conflict zone to a governing council of independents, based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support"

The statement made no mention of one of the essential conditions of the plan – that Hamas accept its disarmament and to ceasing political participation in the governance of Gaza.

Regional Reactions

Many Palestinians portrayed the group's reaction to the peace plan as unexpected, after days of indications that the faction was likely to refuse or at least significantly qualify its endorsement of the US framework.

Instead, Hamas refrained from including its established limits in the public announcement, a move many interpret as a indication of international influence.

International and regional leaders have supported the proposal. The Palestinian Authority, which administers sections of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has described the US president's efforts as "sincere and determined"

The Persian nation - which has been one of the organization's key backers for many years - has also recently indicated its endorsement of the American initiative.

Present Conditions

Israeli bombardment persisted in multiple areas of the Gaza Strip on the beginning of the week before the talks beginning.

Israeli forces is implementing an combat campaign in the urban area, which it has stated is aimed at obtaining the release of the remaining hostages.

Mahmoud Basal, speaking for the territory's Hamas-run civil defence, stated that "no aid trucks have been authorized access for the metropolitan area since the campaign commenced four weeks ago"

"Remains persist we are unable to recover from locations under military occupation" he commented.

Hundreds of thousands of Gaza City have been compelled to evacuate after the Israeli military ordered evacuations to a designated "humanitarian area" in the southern region, but hundreds of thousands more are thought to have stayed.

Israel's defence minister has cautioned that those who remain during the military operation would be "combatants and their sympathizers"

In the previous day, 21 Palestinians have been fatally injured in Gaza and a another 96 injured, the regional health administration said in its current assessment.

Global media representatives have been banned by Israel from entering the conflict zone without supervision since the commencement of the war, making authenticating statements from the conflicting groups difficult.