“Optimism prevails among all parties” in Gaza talks: Hamas official

A senior Hamas official said on Wednesday that negotiations held in Egypt for an end to the war on Gaza were advancing in a "spirit of optimism".

"The mediators are making great efforts to remove any obstacles to the implementation of the ceasefire, and a spirit of optimism prevails among all parties," Taher al-Nunu told AFP from the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, where indirect talks began on Monday between ‘Israel’ and Hamas.

The Palestinian group submitted a list of detainees it wants to be released in the first phase of the truce "in accordance with the agreed-upon criteria and numbers," Nunu added.

In exchange, Hamas is set to release 47 captives, both alive and dead, it seized in its October 7 attack.

Given the high stakes, all sides have sent their top negotiators to the talks in Egypt. The ‘Israeli’ delegation is led by Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Netanyahu.

The US is represented by Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Hamas's delegation is led by Khalil al-Hayya and includes Muhammad Darwish, officials who recently survived an ‘Israeli’ strike in Qatar.