Hamas said on Tuesday it wants to reach a deal to end the war in Gaza based on U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan but still has a set of demands, a statement signalling that the indirect talks with Israel in Egypt could be difficult and lengthy.
Tuesday also marked the two-year anniversary of the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas sets out conditions
According to Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum, the organization’s conditions include:
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A permanent and comprehensive ceasefire
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Full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza
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Unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave
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Immediate reconstruction of Gaza under a Palestinian national authority
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Return of displaced residents to their homes
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A fair exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners
Reports suggest Hamas has agreed to hand over its weapons to an Egyptian-Palestinian authority during indirect negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, and to allow its leaders to leave Gaza under U.S. guarantees of non-prosecution.
However, the group has rejected the proposed appointment of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as Gaza’s governor, though it would accept his remote supervision. Hamas has also categorically opposed placing the Gaza Strip under an international transitional administration, as envisaged in the Trump plan.
Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to obstruct and derail the ceasefire talks, with Barhoum saying the group’s delegation is seeking to overcome all obstacles to reach an agreement.
Meanwhile, U.S. Special Envoy Steven Witkoff is expected to join the Sharm el-Sheikh talks on Wednesday, according to regional reports.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told journalists in Doha that if Hamas releases the hostages, it will mark the end of the war, while noting that many details of the Trump plan remain unresolved. He added that it is too early to discuss the future of Hamas’s political office in Qatar.
World leaders remember October 7 but also growing outrage over genocide
On Tuesday, the United Nations and leaders around the world issued statements marking two years since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza. The tone was one of remembrance, alarm, and deepening concern over what international bodies now describe as one of the gravest humanitarian crises of the 21st century.
Speaking from New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate halt to hostilities and demanded “the unconditional and immediate release of all hostages still held in Gaza,” according to Arab News. Guterres said civilians continue to “pay with their lives and their futures,” describing Gaza’s plight as a “humanitarian catastrophe on a scale that defies comprehension.”
The UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, marked the day with a stark message: “Two years of war in Gaza. Two years too long.” In a post cited by The New Arab, the agency repeated its plea for a ceasefire, safe humanitarian access, and freedom for hostages and Palestinian detainees alike.
A statement from Bond, a UK-based coalition of NGOs published on ReliefWeb, accused Israel’s actions of amounting to genocide under international law, while condemning Hamas’ initial assault and calling for accountability on all sides. The statement read: “We cannot look away as Gaza is wiped off the map.”
In a separate development, the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, led by former South African High Commissioner Navi Pillay, reaffirmed its earlier conclusion that Israel’s actions constitute genocide — a finding reported by Courthouse News in September 2025.
World leaders also issued a range of statements reflecting both solidarity with Israel and calls for restraint. According to Reuters and The Guardian, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the October 7 attack as “the worst assault on the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” while emphasizing the need for a ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in comments reported by France 24, said Israel’s response has crossed “every red line of international law” and referred directly to the situation in Gaza as genocide, urging “a just and permanent peace.”
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, quoted by The Business Standard (TBS News), condemned Hamas’ initial attack but said Israel’s military campaign had “gone beyond any principle of proportionality.”
Across the region, demonstrations and vigils were held in remembrance of both Israeli victims of the 2023 attacks and Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza. As The Washington Post reported, the anniversary was marked in Israel under the sounds of ongoing bombardment, while in capitals around the world protesters called for an end to what they described as “collective punishment” and “occupation by siege.”