The first two days of the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas have focused on mechanisms for ending the two-year-long war in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory, and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza.
It is hoped that the presence of heavyweight negotiators will add to the momentum for a deal.
Witkoff and Kushner, who served as Trump’s Middle East adviser during his first term, flew into Sharm el-Sheikh early on Wednesday.
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi called their arrival “very encouraging”, saying they came “with a strong will, a strong message, and a strong mandate from President Trump to end the war in this round of negotiations”.
Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and the director of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation, Ibrahim Kalin, also joined the talks on Wednesday.
And Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly arrived in the afternoon to lead the Israeli delegation.
Representatives from two other Palestinian armed groups, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), were also present.
Their involvement appeared to be an attempt by Hamas to keep them in line and secure the release of the hostages they are believed to be holding.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC on Wednesday morning that its delegation had submitted a list of the Palestinian prisoners it wanted Israel to release in exchange for the 48 hostages still held in Gaza, up to 20 of whom are still alive.
The list included several of the most prominent Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat.
Barghouti, who is seen as a potential successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, is serving five life sentences plus 40 years after being convicted in 2004 of planning attacks that led to five civilians being killed.
Saadat, the leader of the PLFP, was sentenced to 30 years after being convicted in 2008 of heading an “illegal terrorist organisation” and involvement in attacks, including the assassination of an Israeli minister in 2001.
