Officials from the U.S., Israel and Qatar are all feeling optimistic that a deal to end the war in Gaza could be reached this week, several sources involved in or briefed on the ongoing talks in Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt tell Axios.

Why it matters: The current issues under debate — such as the terms of Israel's military withdrawal from Gaza and the identities of Palestinian prisoners who will be released — are enormously sensitive. Thus, the fact that officials from several countries involved in the process all believe a deal can be finalized on such a short timeline is fairly remarkable.

Driving the news: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived on Wednesday morning local time to represent the U.S. in the talks. • Other participants include negotiating teams from Israel and Hamas, the prim

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