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The militant group's limited endorsement toward the US president's Gaza ceasefire agreement on Friday was received global support and is the closest Israel and Hamas have come over the past 24 months toward stopping the conflict within the Gaza Strip.

How Close Are We to an Agreement?

Hamas's incomplete support of the Trump plan is the closest negotiators have reached over the last several months toward a full conclusion of the conflict inside the Gaza Strip. However, they are still far off from a deal.

The US president's multi-point initiative to end the conflict specifies for Hamas release every captive in three days, give up governing authority to an international body headed by the US president, and lay down its weapons. In return, Israel would gradually pull back its troops from the Gaza Strip and return more than 1,000 detainees.

The proposal would also bring an increase of humanitarian aid into Gaza, some areas of which are undergoing famine, and recovery financing to the Palestinian territory, which has been almost entirely devastated.

Hamas gave consent to three points: the release of all hostages, the surrendering of authority and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The group said the rest of the agreement should be negotiated together with additional Palestinian factions, since it forms part of a “collective national stance”.

Effectively, this means Hamas wants further negotiations regarding the more difficult aspects of the Trump deal, particularly the request for its disarmament, and a clear timetable regarding Israeli troop pullout.

Where and When Will Negotiations Happen?

Negotiators have traveled to the Egyptian capital to finalize details to close the differences between Israel and Hamas.

The talks begin on Monday and it is anticipated to produce conclusions over the next several days, whether positive or negative.

Trump posted an image of a chart of Gaza last Saturday evening that showed the line to which Israeli forces ought to pull back stating if the group consents to the terms, the truce would begin immediately. Donald Trump is keen to end the conflict as it approaches to its two year mark and prior to the Nobel prize committee declares who receives the Nobel Peace Prize in October, which is a widely known preoccupation for him.

Benjamin Netanyahu stated a deal to secure the return of Israeli hostages home should preferably take place soon.

What Gaps Are Left?

The two sides have hedged their positions going into negotiations.

The group has consistently declined to lay down its weapons in past negotiations. It has provided no word whether its position has changed on this, even as it principally agrees to Trump’s plan, with qualifications. Trump and Israel have emphasized that there exists limited flexibility on the disarmament issue and are resolved to pin Hamas down through firm wording in any plan moving forward.

Hamas also said it accepted handing over authority over Gaza to a technocratic administration, as specified by the Trump plan. However, in a statement, Hamas specified it would agree to a Palestinian expert-led administration, not the international body that Trump laid out in the proposal.

Israel has also tried to maintain the matter regarding its military pullout unclear. Just hours after announcing Trump’s plan in a joint press conference in Washington last week, Netanyahu published a video reassuring the Israeli public that troops would stay across much of Gaza.

Last Saturday evening, the Israeli prime minister reiterated that forces would stay inside Gaza, saying that hostages would be returned as the Israel Defense Forces would stay within Gaza's interior.

The prime minister's stance appears to conflict with the stipulation in Trump’s plan that Israeli troops completely pull out from Gaza. The group will demand reassurances that Israel will completely leave and that should Hamas gives up its weapons, Israeli troops will not re-enter the strip.

Mediators will have to close these differences, obtaining firm, unambiguous terms on disarmament from the group. They will also have to show to Hamas that the Israeli government will truly pull out from the territory and that there will be global assurances that will force Israel to comply to the terms of the deal.

The differences could be reconciled, and the US will undoubtedly pressure the two sides to achieve a deal. However, negotiations have come near to an agreement previously abruptly failing several times over the last 24 months, leaving both parties wary of celebrating before a final signing.