Egypt to host Israel Hamas talks, potential hostage deal in sight

Cairo (Uttam Hindu News): Following the agreement on US President Donald Trump's proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, the hostages will soon return home. Egypt will host a meeting on Monday between Israeli and Hamas delegations to discuss the exchange of all Israeli and Palestinian prisoners, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

Egypt expressed hope that the meeting would help end the two-year conflict and the suffering of the Palestinian people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope on Saturday that all Israeli hostages held in Gaza could be released within days, according to reports.

"We are on the verge of an important breakthrough. It is not yet final, but I hope that during the upcoming Sukkot holiday, we will be able to secure the release of all hostages, alive and dead, while maintaining our military presence in the Gaza Strip," Netanyahu said. Sukkot is a week-long Jewish holiday that begins Monday evening.

Netanyahu said Israel wanted to limit the talks to a few days. He said the second phase of the US proposal would require "Hamas to surrender its weapons and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, whether through military action or diplomatic means."

However, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Netanyahu's decision a serious mistake. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that if Hamas continues to exist after the release of all hostages, his faction will not be part of the government. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu has called an urgent meeting to persuade the two ministers to support the agreement.

Last Monday, US President Donald Trump sent a proposal to Hamas to end the war in Gaza and resolve the dispute with Israel. This 20-point peace proposal includes the release of hostages, reconstruction of Gaza, and international monitoring of its administration. Hamas accepted the proposal in principle on Friday and expressed its willingness to begin mediation talks. The international community welcomed Hamas's move and urged both sides to seize the opportunity to end the war and alleviate the suffering of their own people.

The White House said two US envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, traveled to Egypt on Saturday to discuss details of a peace proposal. Meanwhile, Israeli forces scaled back their attacks in Gaza on Saturday in response to Hamas's announcement of the release of hostages and a US request to halt the attacks.

Meanwhile, according to Palestinian medical sources, the Israeli Air Force carried out several airstrikes targeting various areas of Gaza City on Saturday morning, resulting in several deaths and injuries. Health officials said in a press release that 66 people were killed and 265 injured in Gaza in the past 24 hours.

According to an update released by Gaza health officials on Saturday, 67,074 Palestinians have been killed and 169,430 others injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Famine and malnutrition have claimed 459 lives in the territory, including 154 children.