Negotiators were converging on Cairo on Sunday ahead of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war in Gaza, with Israel’s leader expressing hope that the hostages still being held there would be released in a matter of days.
The diplomatic moves came after the Palestinian militant group Hamas responded positively to US President Donald Trump’s roadmap for freeing the captives and administering post-war Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that he had ordered negotiators to Egypt “to finalise the technical details”, while Cairo confirmed it would also be hosting a delegation from Hamas for talks on “the ground conditions and details of the exchange of all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners”.
Egyptian state-linked media had previously reported that the warring parties would hold indirect talks on Sunday and Monday.
Trump also dispatched two envoys to Egypt on Saturday, according to the White House, sending his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his main Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.
The US president warned he would “not tolerate delay” from Hamas, urging the group to move quickly towards a deal “or else all bets will be off”.বিস্তারিত