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Third-party negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement on a American ceasefire proposal to halt hostilities in Gaza have commenced in the mediation venue of the Egyptian resort town.

Middle Eastern and regional officials have stated that the discussions are focused on "establishing the groundwork" for a possible exchange that would see the liberation of all detained individuals in compensation of a group of Palestinian prisoners.

Officials declared it consents to the ceasefire initiative to some extent, but has omitted reference to several crucial requirements - such as its military demobilization and future role in Gaza.

The government official said on the weekend that he anticipated declaring the release of captives "in the coming days"

Conflict Timeline

The talks, which will involve regional and international officials holding shuttle meetings with representatives from both the conflicting parties individually, take place on the verge of the two-year mark of the military operation on Israeli territories on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were captured.

The defense forces began military actions in Gaza in countermeasure. From that point, approximately 67,160 have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza, as reported by the territory's local health authorities.

Initiative Components

The 20-point plan, which has been agreed upon by the Trump administration and Israeli officials, suggests an immediate end to combat and the liberation of 48 captives, only a portion are believed to be surviving, in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans.

The framework requires that once both sides agree to the initiative "complete assistance will be immediately sent into the conflict zone"

It also declares that the militant group would have no participation in governing Gaza, and it allows for an future Palestinian sovereignty.

Current Situation

In the latest development, officials replied to the plan in a statement, in which the group agreed "to release all detainees, both surviving and deceased, following the transfer mechanism contained in the American plan" - if the required situation for the transfers are satisfied.

It did not specifically mention or accept Trump's 20-point plan but said it "reaffirms its commitment to relinquish the governance of the conflict zone to a Palestinian body of technocrats, based on Palestinian national consensus and regional endorsement"

The announcement failed to address of one of the essential conditions of the initiative – that the militant group consent to its disarmament and to ceasing political participation in the administration of Gaza.

International Response

Local residents characterized Hamas' response to the negotiation initiative as surprising, after days of indications that the group was considering denial or at least significantly qualify its acceptance of the American initiative.

Instead, Hamas refrained from including its customary boundaries in the formal declaration, a decision many view as a evidence of external pressure.

International and regional officials have welcomed the plan. The Palestinian Authority, which controls sections of the Palestinian territories, has characterized the American initiatives as "sincere and determined"

The Islamic Republic - which has been one of Hamas's main sponsors for many years - has also recently indicated its support for the American initiative.

Present Conditions

Military strikes continued in several parts of the Gaza Strip on recently ahead of the negotiations starting.

Israel is conducting an military operation in the city, which it has declared is designed to achieving the liberation of the still-detained individuals.

An official representative, spokesman for the territory's local emergency services, reported that "no aid trucks have been permitted entry to the metropolitan area since the military operations started one month prior"

"There are still bodies we cannot retrieve from areas under Israeli control" he stated.

Hundreds of thousands of the urban center have been compelled to evacuate after the Israeli military mandated relocations to a specified safe zone in the southern region, but further countless people are thought to have stayed.

The defense representative has warned that those who remain during the offensive would be "militants and their backers"

In the previous day, 21 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and a another 96 wounded, the Hamas-run health ministry said in its most recent report.

International journalists have been prohibited by Israel from visiting the Gaza Strip autonomously since the start of the hostilities, making confirming reports from the conflicting groups challenging.