Israel and Hamas are preparing for indirect negotiations in Egypt, amid hopes for a possible agreement on ending the Gaza war based on Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Sunday that its delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, had arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh and would begin the negotiations on Monday “on the mechanisms for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of [Israeli] occupation forces and a prisoner exchange”.
The Israeli delegation, led by top negotiator Ron Dermer, will leave on Monday for the talks, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Hopes for a possible ceasefire in Gaza grew after Netanyahu said on Friday that he was hopeful a deal to release all the remaining captives could be announced this week.
United States President Trump said the talks were advancing quickly. “These talks have been very successful, and proceeding rapidly. The technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details,” he said in a social media post on Sunday. “I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST.”
Despite a call from Trump for Israel to pause its Gaza offensive, the Israeli army has continued its bombing campaign. At least 24 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops on Sunday, sources told media Arabic. Among the victims were four asylum seekers who were shot near an aid distribution centre north of Rafah, the Nasser Medical Complex said.
media’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from the town of az-Zuwayda in central Gaza, said attacks were continuing both in the areas where people have been displaced to and in Gaza City, where the majority of Israeli military assaults and the ground offensive have taken place in recent weeks.
“The Palestinians were hoping for a good night’s sleep, but that didn’t happen,” Mahmoud said.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said more than 2,700 families, comprising more than 8,500 people, have been wiped off the civil registry in two years of conflict. At least 1,015 children under one year old have been killed, along with 1,670 medical staff, 254 journalists, and 140 civil defence rescue workers.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the war in Gaza had not yet ended despite the situation being “the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released”.
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