CAIRO/ISTANBUL

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Wednesday that Gaza ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Egypt’s Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh are progressing, inviting his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to attend the signing of the agreement in Egypt if it is reached.

Addressing a police graduation ceremony in eastern Cairo, Sisi said the Sharm el-Sheikh talks “are moving positively.”

“I invite US President Donald Trump to attend the signing of the ceasefire agreement in Egypt if it is reached. It would be wonderful to have you here,” he added.

Hamas said on Wednesday that it exchanged with Israel the lists of Palestinian prisoners set to be released, as indirect negotiations between the two sides to reach a deal continued.

High-level delegations have joined the negotiations, including US envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman. Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer are set to arrive to take part in the talks.

On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled a 20-point proposal that includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas, and the rebuilding of Gaza. Hamas agreed to the plan in principle.

The Israeli military has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave all but uninhabitable and has led to mass displacement, starvation and the proliferation of disease.