Crescent International
Updated 4:45 pm Toronto Time
On the second day of indirect talks in Sharm El-Sheikh (October 7, coinciding with the second anniversary of Al-Aqsa Flood), differences in the divergent priorities of the two sides—Hamas and Israel—have emerged.
The zionist war criminals demand the release of all Israeli prisoners within 72 hours of an agreement without withdrawing their occupation forces to agreed-upon lines.
Hamas has said that it is logistically impossible to release all Israeli prisoners within 72 hours.
Even Israeli sources admit that Hamas would need more time than 72 hours.
Nor are the zionists committing to a complete ceasefire.
They have continued to kill innocent Palestinians despite US President Donald Trump’s call for Israel to stop bombing the besieged enclave.
This came after Hamas announced on October 3 that it was accepting Trump’s 20-point plan.
In the last three days, the zionists have murdered more than 100 Palestinian civilians.
While Egyptian mediators have expressed optimism about the progress of indirect talks, Qatari officials have been more cautious in their assessment.
Egyptian and Qatari officials are acting as mediators.
They will be joined by US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner reaching Egypt early Wednesday morning (Egypt time).
Both are hardcore zionists.
They advance the zionist agenda and cannot be considered as mediators.
In March 2024, Kushner had called for ethnically cleansing the Gaza Strip of all Palestinians so that the US could establish a ‘Riviera of the Middle East’, as Trump had put it.
Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said, “Negotiations yesterday [October 6] in Sharm el-Sheikh lasted four hours and focused on the obstacles to reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.”
He added that discussions were continuing today and that it was “too early to talk in terms of optimism or pessimism.”
Al-Ansari confirmed that there are many unresolved technical details in Trump’s 20 point plan.
“There are still many issues that require agreement,” he said.
“We are committed to ending the war in Gaza, to ending the Israeli occupation, and to ensuring the delivery of aid. There is a firm American commitment to achieving a ceasefire.”
For Hamas, the issues are clear.
The resistance group wants a clesr timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip.
It also demands guarantees for a permanent end to the war.
The zionist war criminals, on the other hand, demand the release of all of its prisoners withoug committing to a complete withdrawal, much less a permanent ceasefire.
If Hamas were to release all Israeli prisoners, it would have no leverage left against the occupiers.
Their past experience with the zionist war criminals does not leave much room for optimism.
A ceasefire agreed in November 2023 for an exchange of prisoners collapsed soon once the zionists got their captived back.
Another agreement, brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar in January 2025 was also violated by the zionists after the release of another batch of their prisoners.
The media office in Gaza reported that Israel had violated the January 15, 2025 ceasefire more than 350 times in one month.
The zionists are incapable of honouring any of their agreements.
Terrorism, treachery and deceipt are in their genes.
They targeted Hamas leaders meeting in Doha, Qatar on September 9 as they met to consider Trump’s ceasefire proposal.
The top leaders survived but six other people—five of them Hamas members—were martyred.
Not surprisingly, Hamas is being very careful and wants to secure iron-clad guarantees.
Unfortunately, the US is also completely untrustworthy.
Besides, Trump is under Mileikowsky’s (aka Nethanyahu) thumb and is being blackmailed over the Epstein sex scandal files.
There is little doubt that Hamas faces very tough choices.
While it wants the war to end and provide relief for the long-suffering Palestinian people, it cannot trust anyone, even the mediators.
Both Qatar and Turkiye, on orders from the US, have threatened Hamas officials that if they do not accept the Trump plan, they will expel them from their country.
With friends like these, who needs enemies.
