Negotiations to focus on ceasefire, partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from territory, and release of hostages
An Israeli army flare drifts over buildings destroyed during Israeli ground and air operations in the northern Gaza Strip, on Monday. PIC/AP/PTI
Israeli and Hamas officials were set to meet in an Egyptian resort on Monday in hopes of hammering out a potential ceasefire in Gaza on the eve of the second anniversary. The indirect negotiations were to take place in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where the Israeli delegation, headed by top negotiator Ron Dermer, was set to arrive on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
Hamas’s delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayyah, arrived on Sunday in Egypt, the group said in a statement. It said the negotiations will focus on the first stage of a ceasefire, including the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces as well as the release of hostages held by the militants in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention.
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are also expected to join the talks, Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram reported. This latest push for peace comes after Hamas accepted some elements of the US peace plan, a move welcomed by Trump. Israel has said it supported the new US effort. Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages, about 20 believed to be alive, within three days. It would give up power and disarm.
The talks in Egypt are expected to move fast as Netanyahu said they would be “confined to a few days maximum”, though some Hamas officials have warned more time may be needed to locate the bodies of hostages buried under rubble.
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