Cairo, Oct 5: Hamas announced on Sunday that it is ready to restart a hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel, as negotiators from both sides meet in Egypt to push forward the delayed Gaza peace process.

Foreign ministers, including Egypt’s, described the talks as a “real opportunity” for a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire. A senior Hamas official told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that the group had “reached an agreement to end the fighting and is eager to immediately begin the process of a prisoner exchange according to the situation on the ground.”

Hamas has responded positively to US President Donald Trump’s proposed roadmap, which links the release of Gaza hostages to the freeing of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Negotiations are being held in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope that hostages in Gaza could be released within days, confirming he had instructed negotiators to “finalize technical details” in Egypt and that he would host a Hamas delegation.

The talks coincide with the second anniversary of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed over 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken into Gaza. Since then, Israel’s offensive has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

The Israeli military says 47 hostages remain in Gaza, including 25 confirmed dead. In return for their release, Israel is prepared to free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and over 1,700 detainees arrested during the war.

Trump, writing on Truth Social, urged Hamas to move quickly, revealing that Israel had agreed to an initial line of withdrawal from Gaza as part of the deal. “The ceasefire will take effect immediately after Hamas confirms this. The exchange of hostages and prisoners will begin, and then we will create conditions for the next phase of the withdrawal of Israeli troops,” he said.