Negotiators were converging on Cairo ahead of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war in Gaza, with Israel’s leader expressing hope that the hostages still being held there would be released in a matter of days.
The diplomatic moves came after Palestinian militant group Hamas responded positively to US President Donald Trump’s roadmap for freeing the captives and administering post-war Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that he had ordered negotiators to Egypt “to finalise the technical details”, while Egypt confirmed it would also be hosting a delegation from Hamas for talks on “the ground conditions and details of the exchange of all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners”.
Egyptian state-linked media had previously reported that the warring parties would hold indirect talks today and tomorrow.
Mr Trump also dispatched two envoys to Egypt yesterday, according to the White House, sending his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his main Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.
The US president warned he would “not tolerate delay” from Hamas, urging the group to move quickly towards a deal “or else all bets will be off”.
In a televised statement yesterday, Mr Netanyahu credited “military and diplomatic pressure” with compelling Hamas to agree to release the captives.
The war in Gaza has led to a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory
“I hope that in the coming days we will be able to bring back all our hostages… during the Sukkot holidays,” mR Netanyahu said, referring to the Jewish festival that begins tomorrow and runs for a week.
On Friday night, Hamas had announced “its approval for the release of all hostages – living and remains – according to the exchange formula included in President Trump’s proposal”.
Mr Trump immediately hailed the statement as evidence the group was “ready for a lasting PEACE”, calling on Israel to stop its bombing.
Mr Netanyahu, meanwhile, insisted in his remarks yesterday that “Hamas will be disarmed… either diplomatically via Trump’s plan or militarily by us”.
Last night, crowds gathered in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to call for an end to the war and to urge Mr Trump to ensure a deal was struck.
The talks will take place two days before the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the conflict.
Strikes continue
Despite Mr Trump’s call for a pause in operations, Israel carried out deadly strikes across Gaza yesterday.
“The death toll from the ongoing Israeli bombardment since dawn today stands at 57, including 40 in Gaza City alone,” said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the civil defence agency, a rescue organisation that operates under Hamas authority.
Israeli forces have carried out a sweeping air and ground assault in recent weeks around the city.
Protests were held in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem calling for the release of Israeli hostages
A resident of Al-Rimal neighbourhood in Gaza City, said “Israel has actually escalated its attacks” since Mr Trump’s call for a pause.
“Who will stop Israel now? We need the negotiations to move faster to stop this genocide and the ongoing bloodshed,” he added.
The Israeli military said it was still operating in Gaza City and warned residents not to return there, adding that doing so would be “extremely dangerous”.
No role for Hamas
A Hamas official said Egypt, a mediator in the truce talks, would host a conference for Palestinian factions to decide on post-war plans for Gaza.
In its response to the Trump plan, Hamas had insisted it should have a say in the territory’s future.
Mr Trump’s roadmap stipulates that Hamas and other factions “not have any role in the governance of Gaza”, while also calling for a halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’s disarmament.
Under the proposal, administration of the territory would be taken up by a technocratic body overseen by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.
An AFP journalist in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi reported hearing celebratory cries of “Allahu akbar!” (God is greatest) from tents housing Palestinians as news of Hamas’s statement spread.
“The best thing is that President Trump himself announced a ceasefire, and Netanyahu will not be able to escape this time… (Trump) is the only one who can force Israel to comply and stop the war,” said one resident.
Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 67,074 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.