With major prisoner demands on the table, can Hamas and Israel find common ground?

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

As talks falter two days after their launch, Washington is pushing to break the deadlock in Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, are closely following the discussions, which also involve Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

The gap between the sides remains wide, with both Hamas and Israel holding firm to their demands related to captives and Israel’s withdrawal map from the Gaza Strip.

Tuesday’s talks focused on achieving progress amid U.S. warnings to both parties that this may be their last chance to finalize a deal.

Hamas is demanding the release of Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Sa'adat, Hassan Salameh, and Abbas al-Sayyed, along with the bodies of Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar. 

The group is also seeking to increase the number of Palestinian security prisoners to be freed to 300, including senior inmates serving life sentences — a move Palestinians view as a potentially last opportunity to secure their release.

Turkey has been exerting pressure to prevent Israel from vetoing the list of proposed prisoners and to ensure they are not deported to third countries.

In exchange, Hamas has agreed to release 20 Israeli living hostages — a proposal discussed both in Sharm el-Sheikh and in Israel.

Israel, for its part, has submitted a map outlining its troop withdrawal from Gaza — an issue that has sparked complex debates since the talks began. Tel Aviv insists on keeping its forces in several areas, while Hamas is demanding guarantees for a full Israeli withdrawal and a commitment to a ceasefire.

As for the mechanisms to end the war, Israel seeks to frame them as a political gain amid growing internal divisions — with opposition parties pushing to move up elections and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatening to quit the government if major Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences are released.