Trump pushes ceasefire as Israel-Hamas talks to begin in Egypt
Israel and Hamas are preparing for indirect negotiations in Egypt on Monday, as hopes build for a possible ceasefire in Gaza after Benjamin Netanyahu said a hostage release could be announced "in the coming days".
Speaking during a televised speech late on Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister said he has sent a delegation to Egypt to "finalise technical details", adding that they aimed to contain negotiations "to a time frame of a few days."
US President Donald Trump told CNN Hamas faces "complete obliteration" if it refuses to cede power in Gaza, as he pressured the militant group, as well as Israel, to move forward with his ceasefire negotiations.
President Trump had welcomed Hamas’s statement accepting some elements of the US peace plan on Friday. Israel has repeatedly said it supports the new US deal.
Under the 20-point plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 Israeli hostages in Gaza, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive, within three days. The group would also have to disarm, and relinquish their role in Gaza’s governance.
Israeli troops would be required to withdraw from Gaza, but the plan states that its forces would maintain a buffer zone which could be within the territory itself.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Sunday, Trump said negotiations on the deal were going "very well."
"They’re in negotiation right now, as we speak," he said, "it’ll last a couple of days. We’ll see how it works out, but I’m hearing it’s going very well."
He said that his ceasefire proposal would be a "great deal" for Israel and "the entire Arab world", adding that, under the agreement, the hostages would need to come back "almost immediately."
Monday’s discussions are set to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, according to an Egyptian official and three Israeli sources.
The negotiations will focus on the proposed exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, Egypt’s foreign ministry said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the current situation is "the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released", but warned that "there are a lot of opportunities" for "sabotage".
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar echoed his sentiments on Sunday, saying: "I hope that we are the closest to a hostage deal since the (ceasefire) deal in January".
Bombing continues in Gaza
Trump repeatedly ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza, but residents and local hospitals said strikes continued across the territory on Sunday.
At least eight people were killed Sunday in multiple strikes in Gaza City, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties.
Four other people were shot dead near an aid distribution site in the southern city of Rafah, according to Nasser Hospital. The Israeli military said it was not involved in the shooting and did not immediately comment on the strikes.
“We’re on the brink, and we don’t know whether one will die of a strike or starvation,” said Mahmoud Hashem, a Palestinian father sheltering in a tent in Gaza City.
"While certain bombings have actually stopped inside the Gaza Strip, there’s no ceasefire in place at this point in time," Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Badrosian said.
Technology & Business Editor
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