Egypt to host talks over Gaza, Israel hopes to bring all hostages home

Egypt will host Israeli and Hamas delegations on Monday to discuss "field conditions and details" for the exchange of "all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners" under the recent U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Egypt hopes the discussions will help "end the war and the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people, which has continued for two consecutive years," the ministry said in a statement.

The anticipated meetings are part of Egypt's ongoing efforts, in coordination with other mediators, "aimed at ending the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip," it said.

Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in the Gaza Strip to give hostage release and the 20-point peace deal a chance to be completed, according to U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Saturday.

"Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off," he said in a Truth Social post. "I will not tolerate delay ... Let's get this done, FAST."

In a separate post on Saturday, the president said that after negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which has been shown to Hamas.

"When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal," he added.

On Saturday, two U.S. envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, headed to Egypt to discuss details of the proposal, the White House said.

Israel hopes to bring all hostages home within days

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday voiced hope that all Israeli hostages held in Gaza could be released within days.

"We are on the verge of a significant achievement," Netanyahu said in a live video statement. "It's not final yet, but I hope that during the upcoming Sukkot holiday, we will be able to secure the release of all the hostages, both living and deceased, while maintaining our military presence deep inside the Gaza Strip." Sukkot, a weeklong Jewish holiday, begins on Monday evening.

However, Netanyahu said Israel intends to keep negotiations limited to just a few days, adding that in the U.S. proposal's second phase, "Hamas will be disarmed, and the Gaza Strip will be demilitarized, whether through military action or diplomatic means."

Far-right ministers in Netanyahu's political-security cabinet and coalition have harshly criticized Netanyahu and the emerging agreement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Netanyahu's decision "a serious mistake and a sure recipe for Hamas stalling for time and the growing erosion of the Israeli position."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said if Hamas continues to exist after all the hostages are released, his faction will not be part of the government.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu summoned the two ministers for an urgent meeting to convince them to support the agreement.

Challenges ahead

The 20-point U.S. proposal, which Washington on Monday said Israel had agreed to, combines a ceasefire-for-hostages deal, phased Israeli withdrawal, and international oversight on Gaza's reconstruction and governance after the end of the conflict.

Hamas announced on Friday that it had accepted the proposal in principle and was ready to open mediated talks, a response broadly welcomed by the international community, which urged both sides to seize the chance to end the war and ease civilian suffering.

However, analysts believe that securing a ceasefire in Gaza currently faces three major challenges, which will create significant uncertainty in reaching any agreement.

First, a short-term ceasefire and hostage exchange are vulnerable to interference from extremist factions within both Israel and Hamas. Additionally, disagreements over lists of persons to be released, safe passage to the Gaza Strip, and timelines further complicate the implementation of any agreement.

Second, in the long term, the success of negotiations depends on whether the U.S. can pressure Israel into making concessions, whether those within Hamas accept a diminished status, and the stances of regional powers.

Third, there is a core contradiction since Israel insists on the disarmament of Hamas, while Hamas refuses and demands the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces. U.S. mediation efforts have struggled to bridge this fundamental divide.

According to Palestinian medical sources, the Israeli Air Force launched a series of air strikes on Saturday morning targeting various areas of Gaza City, resulting in deaths and injuries. The health authorities said in a press statement that 66 people have died and Gaza hospitals have received 265 wounded over the past 24 hours.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 67,074 Palestinians and injured 169,430 others since October 7, 2023, while famine and malnutrition have claimed 459 lives in the enclave, including 154 children, according to an update by Gaza-based health authorities on Saturday.

Read more:

Full text of Trump's 20-point proposal on Gaza