CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas prepared for indirect negotiations in Egypt on Monday, as hopes for a possible ceasefire in Gaza grew following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that a hostage release could be announced this week.
Tuesday marks two years since the Hamas attack that sparked the current war. President Donald Trump welcomed Hamas’s statement accepting some elements of the U.S. peace plan, which Israel has also expressed support for.
Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages—about 20 believed to be alive—within three days. In addition, Hamas would relinquish power and disarm.
The delegation led by top Israeli negotiator Ron Dermer is scheduled to leave Monday for talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, according to Netanyahu’s office. An Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters, confirmed that the Hamas delegation had arrived and said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is joining the talks.
Discussions will focus on the proposed exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, Egypt’s foreign ministry said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the situation as “the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released.” Speaking on ABC’s *This Week*, he outlined two phases following Hamas’s acceptance of Trump’s framework: the release of hostages and Israel’s withdrawal in Gaza to the “yellow line,” where it stood in August.
Rubio told CBS that Hamas should release hostages as they are ready, and emphasized that bombardment needs to end to facilitate the release.
The U.S. plan also addresses Gaza’s future. In a text exchange with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Trump warned that there would be “complete obliteration” if Hamas remained in power there. Trump also texted that Netanyahu supports ending the bombing and achieving peace in Gaza but added, “soon on the rest.”
### Support for a Ceasefire Grows
Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Badrosian told journalists that Netanyahu is in “regular contact” with Trump and stressed that the talks in Egypt “will be confined to a few days maximum.”
“I hope that we are closest to a hostage deal since the (ceasefire) deal in January,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in a speech.
Meanwhile, anxious relatives of hostages gathered near Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, some urging Trump to continue applying pressure. Israel’s recent military offensive in Gaza City has heightened fears for the hostages’ safety.
“We cannot allow such a historic agreement to be sacrificed again,” said Michel Ilouz, father of hostage Guy Ilouz.
Across several European cities and other locations, hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians. The foreign ministers of eight Muslim-majority countries issued a joint statement welcoming steps toward a possible ceasefire. They also emphasized their commitment to the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, the unification of Gaza and the West Bank, and reaching an agreement leading to a “full Israeli withdrawal” from Gaza.
Rubio told ABC that decisions regarding a governing structure or international group to manage Gaza can occur simultaneously with the initial phase of the ceasefire.
“That’s the part that I think is going to be a little tougher to work through, but that’s what’s going to provide permanency to the end of the conflict,” he said.
### At Least 12 Killed in Gaza on Sunday
Although Trump ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza, residents and local hospitals reported that strikes continued across the territory.
Israeli government spokeswoman Badrosian confirmed that “certain bombings have actually stopped inside of the Gaza Strip.” However, Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, warned, “if the political effort does not succeed, we will return to fight.”
At least eight people were killed Sunday in multiple strikes in Gaza City, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strikes targeted Hamas militants posing a threat to Israeli troops.
Additionally, four people were shot dead near an aid distribution site in the southern city of Rafah, according to Nasser Hospital. Israel’s military denied involvement in that incident.
Doctors Without Borders confirmed the death of colleague Abed El Hameed Qaradaya, who was wounded in an attack last Thursday that killed another colleague in Gaza.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that the Palestinian death toll in the war reached 67,139 on Sunday, with nearly 170,000 injured. The ministry does not specify how many of those killed were civilians or combatants, but states that women and children make up about half of the dead.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
Israel’s military has said it continues to dismantle Hamas infrastructure and warned residents not to return to northern Gaza.
“We’re on the brink, and we don’t know whether one will die of a strike or starvation,” said Mahmoud Hashem, a Palestinian father sheltering in a tent in Gaza City.
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Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Andrew Wilks contributed from Istanbul.
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