Netanyahu hopes to bring Gaza hostages home within days as negotiators head to Cairo

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that helium hoped to bring location the hostages being held by Hamas successful a substance of days, arsenic negotiators headed to Cairo for talks aimed astatine putting an extremity to astir 2 years of warfare successful Gaza.

US President Donald Trump warned helium would “not tolerate delay” from the Palestinian militant group, aft it responded positively to his roadmap for freeing the captives and administering post-war Gaza.

While Trump had called connected Israel to halt its bombardment of the Gaza Strip pursuing Hamas’s announcement, the strikes continued connected Saturday, with astatine slightest 57 radical killed since dawn, according to the territory’s civilian defence agency.

Netanyahu credited “military and diplomatic pressure” with compelling Hamas to hold to merchandise the captives successful a televised connection connected Saturday.

“I anticipation that successful the coming days we volition beryllium capable to bring backmost each our hostages… during the Sukkot holidays,” Netanyahu said, referring to the Jewish festival that begins connected Monday and runs for 1 week.

The premier added helium had ordered negotiators to Egypt “to finalise the method details”, with Cairo confirming it would besides beryllium hosting a delegation from Hamas for talks connected “the crushed conditions and details of the speech of each Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners” arsenic per Trump’s proposal.

Trump besides dispatched 2 envoys to Egypt connected Saturday, according to the White House — his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his main Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.

On Friday night, Hamas announced “its support for the merchandise of each hostages — surviving and remains — according to the speech look included successful President Trump’s proposal”.

Trump instantly hailed the connection arsenic grounds the radical was “ready for a lasting PEACE”, calling connected Israel to halt its bombing.

On Saturday, helium warned the radical to “move quickly” towards a woody “or other each bets volition beryllium off”.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, insisted successful his remarks Saturday that “Hamas volition beryllium disarmed… either diplomatically via Trump’s program oregon militarily by us”.

As of Saturday evening, a assemblage of thousands was gathering successful Tel Aviv urging Trump to guarantee a woody was struck.

– ‘Same intensity’ –

Despite Trump’s telephone for a intermission successful operations, Israel carried retired deadly strikes crossed Gaza connected Saturday.

“The decease toll from the ongoing Israeli bombardment since dawn contiguous stands astatine 57, including 40 successful Gaza City alone,” said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesperson for the civilian defence agency, a rescue organisation that operates nether Hamas authority.

Israeli forces person carried retired a sweeping aerial and crushed battle successful caller weeks astir the city.

“The Israeli bombardment connected Gaza continues with the aforesaid strength and signifier — aerial strikes, artillery shelling and quadcopter drone occurrence are ongoing,” said Mohammed al-Mughayyir, besides of the civilian defence agency.

Mahmud Al-Ghazi, 39, a nonmigratory of Al-Rimal neighbourhood successful Gaza City, said “Israel has really escalated its attacks” since Trump’s telephone for a pause.

“Who volition halt Israel now? We request the negotiations to determination faster to halt this genocide and the ongoing bloodshed,” helium added.

The Israeli subject said it was inactive operating successful Gaza City and warned residents not to instrumentality there, adding that doing truthful would beryllium “extremely dangerous”.

Israeli media reported that the subject had shifted to a antiaircraft posture successful Gaza pursuing Trump’s call, though the subject did not corroborate this to AFP.

– No relation for Hamas –

A Hamas authoritative said Egypt, a mediator successful the truce talks, would big a league for Palestinian factions to determine connected post-war plans for Gaza.

In its effect to the Trump plan, Hamas had insisted it should person a accidental successful the territory’s future.

The program stipulates that Hamas and different factions “not person immoderate relation successful the governance of Gaza”, portion besides calling for ...