CAIRO: Hamas's top negotiator Khalil El-Hayya said Tuesday during indirect talks with Israel in Egypt that the group "wants guarantees from (US) President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all."
"We do not trust the occupation, not even for a second," he told Egyptian state-linked media Al-Qahera News, referring to Israel.
"The Israeli occupation throughout history does not keep its promises, and we have experienced it twice in this war. Therefore, we want real guarantees," he continued, accusing Israel of violating two ceasefires in the current war.
Meanwhile, the Al-Qahera News also reported that Hamas is demanding the release of high-profile Palestinian captive Marwan Barghouti from an Israeli jail as part of ongoing negotiations on prisoner exchange.
The report said talks had begun in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh on the lists of Palestinian captives to be freed by Israel under a potential ceasefire deal.
Barghouti, a leading member of the Palestinian Fatah party and imprisoned since 2002, is among several high-profile detainees whose release is being sought by Hamas.
Other names mentioned include Ahmad Saadat, Hassan Salameh and Abbas Al-Sayed.
Indirect talks have been underway since Monday in Sharm El-Sheikh as part of a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
The plan includes the release of Israeli captives seized by Hamas and other Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023.
In return for the Israeli captives, Hamas has sought the release of at least 250 Palestinians sentenced to life and held in Israel's jails along with more than 1,700 detainees picked up from Gaza during the genocidal war.
The plan also includes phased Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the disarmament of Hamas.
On Sunday, Hamas said it was ready to reach an agreement to end the war in the Palestinian territory and to carry out an immediate exchange of prisoners with Israel.
