Israel, Hamas due to start ceasefire talks in Egypt

Delegations from Hamas, Israel and the United States are owed to convene successful Egypt for talks connected Monday, with President Donald Trump urging negotiators to “move fast” to extremity the astir two-year warfare successful Gaza.

Both Hamas and Israel person responded positively to Trump’s connection for an extremity to the warring and the merchandise of captives successful Gaza successful speech for Palestinians held successful Israeli jails.

Hamas’s pb negotiator Khalil al-Hayya was to conscionable with mediators from Egypt and Qatar successful Cairo Monday morning, a elder authoritative from the Palestinian militant radical told AFP, up of talks successful the Egyptian edifice municipality of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Negotiations volition look to “determine the day of a impermanent truce”, the authoritative said, arsenic good arsenic make conditions for a archetypal signifier of the bid plan, successful which 47 hostages held successful Gaza are to beryllium released successful instrumentality for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.

Posting connected his Truth Social level connected Sunday, the US president praised “positive discussions with Hamas” and allies astir the satellite including Arab and Muslim nations.

“I americium told that the archetypal signifier should beryllium completed this week, and I americium asking everyone to MOVE FAST,” Trump wrote.

Foreign ministers from respective countries, including Egypt, said the talks were a “real opportunity” to execute a sustainable ceasefire, portion Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed anticipation that the hostages could beryllium released wrong days.

– ‘Strikes volition person to stop’ –

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio connected Sunday urged Israel to halt bombing Gaza up of the discussions successful Egypt.

“You can’t merchandise hostages successful the mediate of strikes, truthful the strikes volition person to stop,” Rubio told CBS.

Netanyahu said the Israeli delegation would beryllium departing for Egypt connected Monday for the talks, owed to commencement connected the eve of the 2nd day of the October 7, 2023 Hamas onslaught that sparked the war.

The White House said Trump had besides sent 2 envoys to Egypt — his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.

“During communications with mediators, Hamas insisted that it is indispensable for Israel to halt subject operations crossed each areas of the Gaza Strip, cease each air, reconnaissance, and drone activity, and retreat from wrong Gaza City,” a Palestinian root adjacent to Hamas said, adding the radical would “also halt their subject operations” successful parallel.

Militants seized 251 hostages during their October 7, 2023 attack, 47 of whom are inactive successful Gaza. Of those, the Israeli subject says 25 are dead.

According to Trump’s plan, successful instrumentality for the hostages, Israel is expected to merchandise 250 Palestinian prisoners with beingness sentences and much than 1,700 detainees from the Gaza Strip who were arrested during the war.

Noting that the “operational concern has changed”, Israeli subject main Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir warned Sunday that if the negotiations failed, the subject would “return to fighting” successful Gaza.

Israel, meanwhile, has continued to transportation retired strikes.

AFPTV footage showed heavy fume billowing implicit the skyline of the coastal territory connected Sunday.

– No relation for Hamas –

Gaza’s civilian defence agency, a rescue unit operating nether Hamas authority, said Israeli attacks killed astatine slightest 20 radical crossed the territory connected Sunday, 13 of them successful Gaza City.

On Sunday nighttime and Monday morning, airstrikes were conducted successful Khan Yunis and parts of Gaza City, portion artillery shelling and gunfire from drones continued successful areas eastbound of Gaza City, the civilian defence told AFP.

“There has been a noticeable alteration successful the fig of aerial strikes (since past night). The tanks and subject vehicles person somewhat pulled back,” said Muin Abu Rajab, 40, a nonmigratory of the city’s Al-Rimal neighbourhood.

Hamas has insisted it shoul...