We do not trust Israel, and we need guarantees this war will truly end.
Em Sharm el Sheikh, no Egito, negociadores de Hamas e Israel buscam, por meio de intermediários, uma saída para um conflito que já dura dois anos e ceifou dezenas de milhares de vidas. O otimismo declarado pelo Hamas coexiste com divergências profundas sobre retirada de tropas e desarmamento — os mesmos impasses que derrubaram acordos anteriores. A presença de enviados de Trump, do Catar e da Turquia sinaliza que o mundo reconhece o peso do momento, mas a história recente lembra que a linguagem da esperança nem sempre precede a paz.
- Dois anos de guerra e mais de 67 mil mortos palestinos pressionam as partes a encontrar uma saída, mas cada lado chega à mesa com exigências que o outro considera inaceitáveis.
- Hamas afirma otimismo e entregou listas de reféns dispostos a libertar, enquanto Israel apresentou suas primeiras propostas formais sobre retirada de tropas — sinal de que o terreno ainda está sendo mapeado.
- Netanyahu insiste que soldados israelenses permanecerão em Gaza e que o Hamas deve se desarmar; o Hamas exige garantias de fim definitivo da guerra e retirada completa, e não toca na questão do próprio desarmamento.
- Enviados de Trump, o primeiro-ministro do Catar e o chefe da inteligência turca convergem para o Egito, elevando a pressão diplomática a um nível raramente visto neste conflito.
- Dois cessar-fogos anteriores já colapsaram, e a fonte palestina próxima às negociações admite que as propostas israelenses ainda são 'primeiras' — indicando o longo caminho que resta percorrer.
Na cidade egípcia de Sharm el Sheikh, negociadores de Hamas e Israel tentam, por meio de intermediários, construir um cessar-fogo em torno de um plano de vinte pontos anunciado por Donald Trump em setembro. O dirigente sênior do Hamas Taher al Nunu declarou que o otimismo prevalece nas conversas, que listas de reféns foram entregues e que avanços foram feitos no arcabouço do acordo. Delegações de alto nível — o enviado de Trump Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, o primeiro-ministro do Catar e o chefe da inteligência turca — chegavam à cidade, sinalizando o peso político do momento. O próprio Trump chamou a situação de 'oportunidade real' para um acordo.
Mas sob a retórica esperançosa persistem abismos. Khalil al Hayya, negociador-chefe do Hamas no Egito, foi direto: o movimento não confia em Israel e exige garantias concretas de fim da guerra e retirada completa das tropas antes de libertar os reféns. O desarmamento do Hamas — ponto central do plano Trump — não foi sequer abordado pelo grupo. Do outro lado, o primeiro-ministro Benjamin Netanyahu, ao marcar os dois anos do ataque de 7 de outubro de 2023, reafirmou que as tropas israelenses permanecerão em Gaza e que o desarmamento do Hamas é inegociável.
O custo humano que paira sobre essas negociações é imenso. O ataque de 7 de outubro matou 1.219 pessoas em Israel; dos 251 sequestrados, 47 ainda estão em Gaza, 25 deles provavelmente mortos. A campanha militar israelense deixou mais de 67.160 palestinos mortos, a maioria civis, e a ONU declarou condições de fome em partes do território. Dois cessar-fogos anteriores — em novembro de 2023 e no início de 2025 — já haviam ruído, e uma fonte palestina próxima às negociações revelou que Israel apresentou apenas suas 'primeiras propostas' formais sobre retirada, evidenciando o quanto ainda falta percorrer. O otimismo declarado pode ser genuíno, ou pode ser simplesmente a linguagem que os negociadores usam quando ainda estão à procura de um chão comum.
In the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el Sheikh, negotiators from Hamas and Israel are sitting across from each other—not directly, but through intermediaries—trying to find a way to end a war that has consumed two years and tens of thousands of lives. On Wednesday, a senior Hamas official named Taher al Nunu told reporters that optimism was prevailing in these talks, that the movement had submitted lists of prisoners it was willing to release, and that progress was being made on the framework of a ceasefire. The negotiations are built around a twenty-point plan announced by Donald Trump in late September, one that envisions a halt to fighting, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the disarmament of Hamas.
The arrival of high-level delegations from multiple countries underscored the moment's weight. Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were joining the talks. Qatar's prime minister was coming. Turkey's intelligence chief was on his way. The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have been mediating for months, trying to bridge gaps that have proven stubbornly wide. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Trump had specifically asked Ankara to pressure Hamas into negotiating. Trump himself had called the moment a "real opportunity" for a deal.
Yet beneath the language of optimism lay a chasm of unresolved disagreements. Khalil al Hayya, Hamas's chief negotiator present in Egypt, said the movement wanted guarantees—from Trump, from the mediators, from anyone who could provide them—that a war in Gaza would truly end. "We do not trust Israel," he said plainly. Hamas had responded positively to Trump's plan, but with conditions: it would free the hostages it held, but only if Israel withdrew completely from Gaza and committed to ending the offensive. The movement did not address its own disarmament, a point Trump's plan considered essential.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a different vision. On Tuesday, marking two years since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, he promised to achieve all the war's objectives: the return of every hostage and the destruction of Hamas's military capacity. When he endorsed Trump's plan, he added a crucial caveat—Israeli troops would remain across most of Gaza. Hamas would have to be disarmed. These were not negotiable points for him.
The human arithmetic behind these negotiations is staggering. The October 7 attack killed 1,219 people, most of them civilians. Of the 251 people taken hostage that day, forty-seven remain in Gaza, and twenty-five of those are believed dead. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has left more than 67,160 Palestinians dead according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, the vast majority civilians. The United Nations has declared parts of Gaza to be experiencing famine. Independent investigators have accused Israel of genocide—a charge Israeli officials deny.
Two previous ceasefires, one in November 2023 and another in early 2025, had allowed for the return of hostages and bodies in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Both collapsed. The pattern suggests that even when both sides agree to pause, the underlying conflict reasserts itself. A Palestinian source close to the Hamas negotiators reported that on Tuesday, Israel had presented its first formal proposals on troop withdrawal, along with the mechanics and timeline for exchanging hostages and prisoners. The fact that these were "first proposals" suggested how much ground remained to be covered.
What distinguishes this moment from previous attempts is the intensity of international involvement and Trump's personal investment in a deal. Whether that translates into a durable ceasefire or simply another temporary pause remains to be seen. The delegations gathering in Sharm el Sheikh are betting that enough pressure, enough mediation, enough diplomatic choreography can move two sides toward an agreement. But the gap between what Hamas demands and what Netanyahu will accept has not narrowed in any fundamental way. The optimism al Nunu described may be real, or it may be the language negotiators use when they are still searching for common ground.
Notable Quotes
We do not trust Israel. We want guarantees from Trump and the mediators that this war will end once and for all.— Khalil al Hayya, Hamas chief negotiator
My army will remain in most of Gaza. Hamas must be disarmed. These are the objectives we will achieve.— Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister (paraphrased)
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Hamas claim optimism right now, when the core disagreements—Israeli withdrawal, disarmament—haven't actually been resolved?
Because in negotiations, momentum itself matters. If you say things are hopeless, they become hopeless. Claiming progress, even modest progress, keeps the other side at the table and keeps international mediators engaged. It's also possible they genuinely see movement on prisoner lists and the mechanics of exchange, even if the big political questions remain open.
But Netanyahu is saying troops stay in Gaza. That's not a small disagreement.
It's not. Netanyahu sees permanent Israeli presence as necessary to prevent Hamas from rearming. Hamas sees that as occupation. Those are irreconcilable positions unless one side gives ground, and neither has shown willingness to do that yet. Trump's plan tries to thread the needle with a "gradual" withdrawal, but gradual to whom? Five years? Twenty?
Two previous truces fell apart. What makes anyone think this one would hold?
The previous ones were shorter, more limited. This is being framed as a comprehensive settlement. But you're right to be skeptical. The underlying conflict hasn't been resolved—just paused. Once the immediate pressure of negotiations eases, the incentives to resume fighting return.
What does Trump's personal involvement actually change?
It signals American commitment and gives both sides cover to move. If Trump is invested, neither side wants to be blamed for collapse. But Trump's attention span is finite, and his leverage over Netanyahu is limited. Over Hamas, it's even more limited. He can facilitate, but he can't force.
The hostage numbers are haunting. Forty-seven people still in Gaza, twenty-five presumed dead.
Yes. That's what keeps pulling Israel back to the table. For Netanyahu, those hostages are a political vulnerability. For Hamas, they're leverage. But if twenty-five are already dead, the urgency is different than it was two years ago. That changes the calculus in ways that aren't always visible in the diplomatic language.