Delegations from Hamas, Israel, and the United States are scheduled to meet in Egypt on Monday to negotiate a ceasefire in the nearly two-year Gaza conflict, with US President Donald Trump urging swift action. The talks, starting in Cairo and continuing in Sharm El-Sheikh, aim to establish a temporary truce and initiate the first phase of a peace plan. This phase involves releasing 47 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including 250 with life sentences and over 1,700 detained during the war.
Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya will meet Egyptian and Qatari mediators, while Israel’s delegation, backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is also attending. Trump, who sent envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, praised the “positive discussions” on his Truth Social platform, pressing for the first phase to conclude within the week. Foreign ministers, including Egypt’s, called the talks a “real opportunity” for a sustainable ceasefire.
Hamas demands Israel halt all military operations, including airstrikes and drone activity, and withdraw from Gaza City, offering to pause its own operations in return. Despite a recent decrease in airstrikes, Gaza’s civil defence reported 20 deaths from Israeli attacks on Sunday, with ongoing shelling in Khan Yunis and Gaza City. The conflict, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,219 people, has led to 67,139 Palestinian deaths, per Gaza’s health ministry.
Trump’s plan, endorsed by Netanyahu, includes a 72-hour hostage release, gradual Israeli withdrawal, and Hamas’s disarmament, with Gaza’s governance transitioning to a technocratic body under a US-led post-war authority. Hamas insists on a role in Gaza’s future, a point of contention. Residents like Ahmad Barbakh hope the talks will end the war, while Israel’s military chief warned of resumed fighting if negotiations fail.
