Hamas, Israel to begin indirect talks over Trump's Gaza plan in Egypt

A delegation from Hamas arrived in Egypt on Sunday for indirect negotiations aimed at ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza, while an Israeli delegation is expected to depart for Egypt on Monday for the talks.

Hamas and Israeli officials are set to discuss a U.S.-brokered proposal to end the war and secure the release of 48 hostages still held in Gaza. The conflict has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, devastated the enclave and caused famine across the strip.

Hamas's chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Egypt late on Sunday as the head of the delegation, the group said in a statement.

Hamas and the Egyptian side will hold talks on implementing the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan, Egyptian sources told Xinhua.

The negotiations will focus on the details of enacting the plan's initial phase, the sources said, adding that key points are expected to include the mechanism for prisoner exchanges between Hamas and Israel, as well as the process for Hamas to hand over its weapons.

After meeting with the Hamas delegation, the Egyptian side will hold a separate session with the Israeli delegation. The results from both negotiations will be delivered to U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner upon their arrival in Egypt, the sources said.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Saturday that the talks between Israeli and Hamas delegations would be held Monday to discuss "field conditions and details" for the exchange of "all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners" under the U.S.-proposed 20-point plan.

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

Trump urges both sides to 'move fast'

The diplomatic push follows Hamas's positive response to Trump's roadmap for an end to the fighting and the release of captives in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails, with the U.S. leader urging both sides to "move fast."

"There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East," Trump posted Sunday on his Truth Social platform.

"I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST."

Trump told reporters earlier that he believes the hostages could be freed "very soon."

Foreign ministers from several countries, including Egypt, said the talks at the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh were a "real opportunity" to achieve a sustainable ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope that the hostages could be released within days.

A senior Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the Palestinian militant group "is very keen to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the prisoner exchange process in accordance with the field conditions."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday urged Israel to stop bombing Gaza ahead of the discussions in Egypt.

"You can't release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop," Rubio told CBS. "There can't be a war going on in the middle of it."

Israel: Operation would resume if talks failed

Netanyahu ordered a high-level delegation to depart for indirect talks with Hamas in Egypt on Monday, aimed at halting the Gaza war, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

The team, led by Ron Dermer, Israel's minister of strategic affairs and a close associate of Netanyahu, will head to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula for the negotiations.

Israel said Saturday that it had halted all military offensive operations to capture Gaza City, shifting its forces to defensive operations only.

However, earlier on Sunday, Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir toured the northern Gaza Strip and warned that the military operations would resume if the upcoming indirect ceasefire talks fail.

Zamir visited the westernmost point of the Netzarim Corridor, a dividing line established by Israeli forces to separate northern and southern Gaza, the military said.

"There is no ceasefire, but there is a change in the operational situation," Zamir said while speaking with commanders near Gaza's seashore.

"If the political effort does not succeed, we will return to fighting. We will continue to carry out our mission while also protecting the lives of our soldiers," he added.

Meanwhile, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned that the Israeli assault on Gaza would intensify if Hamas refuses to release hostages held in the enclave. "Should Hamas refuse to release the hostages, the IDF will again increase the intensity of its fire until Hamas is decisively defeated and all the hostages are freed," Katz said at a ceremony in Jerusalem for fallen soldiers.

Israeli forces "are operating in the heart of Gaza City and are prepared for any scenario," Katz added.

Israel, meanwhile, has continued to carry out strikes. AFPTV footage showed thick smoke billowing over the skyline of the coastal territory on Sunday.

Gaza's civil defense agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said Israeli attacks killed at least 20 people across the territory on Sunday, 13 of them in Gaza City.

"There has been a noticeable decrease in the number of air strikes (since last night). The tanks and military vehicles have slightly pulled back, but I believe this is a tactical move, not a withdrawal," said Muin Abu Rajab, 40, a resident of the city's Al-Rimal neighbourhood.

No role for Hamas

Hamas has insisted it should have a say in the territory's future, though Trump's roadmap stipulates that it and other factions "not have any role in the governance of Gaza."

The U.S. plan, endorsed by Netanyahu, calls for a halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the disarmament of Hamas, something the group has previously described as a red line.

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.

"We hope Trump will pressure Netanyahu and force him to stop the war," said Ahmad Barbakh, a resident of the Al-Mawasi area.

"We want the prisoner exchange deal to be completed quickly so that Israel has no excuse to continue the war."

Hamas's October 7, 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 67,139 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

(With input from agencies)