Israel and Hamas are bracing for talks in Egypt after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a hostage‑release deal could be announced this week.
The Israeli team, headed by negotiator Ron Dermer, will leave for Sharm el‑Sheikh on Monday. An Egyptian source confirmed the Hamas delegation has already arrived. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to join the discussions.
Egypt’s foreign ministry said the talks will focus on exchanging all remaining hostages for thousands of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the step, calling it “the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released.”
The backdrop is the 7 October attacks on southern Israel, when Hamas militants killed 1,139 people, mainly civilians, and seized 250 hostages. Since then, Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, while around 48 hostages remain in Hamas hands—though only about 20 are believed to be alive.
On Friday, Hamas said it would release all hostages immediately if it follows the U.S. President Donald Trump’s “21‑point peace plan.” The plan, unveiled last week with Netanyahu in the Oval Office, calls for the release of hostages, disbanding and disarming Hamas, and establishing a provisional oversight government in Gaza run by Trump and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Trump said Hamas members willing to disarm could stay in Gaza with amnesty, while those who oppose could exit to other countries.
Netanyahu told Euronews that Hamas must accept the entire plan without delay to achieve peace. Trump, however, welcomed Hamas’s Friday statement as a sign of readiness for lasting peace and urged Israel to stop bombings to secure a swift hostage release.
This comes as Jerusalem marks two years since the terror attacks that sparked the current conflict. The world watches closely as the negotiations in Egypt could shape the next chapter of the Gaza crisis.
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