New US plan to end the war Israel, Hamas prepare for indirect talks in Egypt today

 

 

 

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza “in the coming days,” as Israel and Hamas prepare for indirect talks in Egypt on Monday on a new US plan to end the war. In a brief statement, Netanyahu said he has sent a delegation to Egypt “to finalise technical details,” adding that “our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days.” But Netanyahu signalled there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. He said Israel’s military will continue to hold territories it controls in Gaza, and that Hamas will be disarmed in the plan’s second phase, diplomatically “or through a military path by us.”

 

The Prime Minister spoke after Hamas said it has accepted some elements of the US plan. President Donald Trump welcomed the militant group’s statement but on Saturday warned that “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off.” Trump also ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Some in Gaza City reported a notable easing of Israeli strikes Saturday. Israel’s army said leaders instructed it to prepare for the US plan’s first phase. Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said an official who was not authorised to speak to the media on the record. Trump appears determined to deliver on pledges to end the war and return all hostages ahead of the second anniversary on Tuesday of the Hamas attack that sparked it on October 7, 2023. His proposal unveiled earlier this week has widespread international support. On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said Israel was committed to ending the war. Monday’s indirect talks are meant to prepare the way for the release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinians from Israeli detention, mediator Egypt said.

 

Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It also would give up power and disarm. In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of Gaza, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction. A senior Egyptian official said US envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Egypt to head the US negotiating team. The talks also will discuss maps showing the expected withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain areas in Gaza, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to brief the media. The official also said Arab mediators are preparing for a comprehensive dialogue among Palestinians aimed at unifying their position toward Gaza’s future. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second most powerful militant group, said it accepted Hamas’ response after rejecting the plan days earlier

 

 

AT LEAST 70 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes on Saturday, including seven children between the ages of two months and eight years old, ‘Al Jazeera’ reported. The strikes came after United States President Donald Trump urged Israel to “immediately stop bombing” Gaza after Hamas agreed to Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Gaza City, which has been at the heart of Israel’s military campaign, saw the highest number of casualties. Health officials confirmed that 45 people lost their lives there. The Israeli strikes in recent weeks have affected more than one million Gazans, forcing them to vacate the area and move towards southern Gaza. In the Tuffah neighbourhood, an air strike on a residential house killed 18 people and injured several others. Rescue workers said the blast damaged nearby buildings. Israeli forces also carried out strikes on a displacement camp, al-Mawasi, in southern Gaza, where Israeli troops asked Palestinians to evacuate.

 

Two children died in that attack, while at least eight others were wounded. Meanwhile, Trump appreciated that Israel temporarily stopped the bombing to allow hostage release but warned Hamas not to delay or “all else all bets will be off”. “I appreciate that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and peace deal a chance to be completed. Hamas must move quickly or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again. Let’s get this done, FAST. Everyone will be treated fairly,” he said. Later, he posted that Israel had already indicated an initial “withdrawal line.” “When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal,” Trump wrote. A White House official confirmed that Trump is sending Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Egypt to work out the details of the hostage release and prisoner exchange.

 

Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said delegations from Hamas and Israel will also join the talks on Monday, Al Jazeera reported. Hamas has signalled agreement to some parts of Trump’s plan, such as Israel’s pullout from Gaza and the exchange of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners for Israeli captives. However, the group has not clarified whether it will accept disarmament, which remains a central demand in the US proposal.