CAIRO / ISTANBUL
Egypt confirmed Saturday that it will host a new round of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on Sunday to discuss details of a prisoner exchange under US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the talks are part of “ongoing Egyptian efforts, in coordination with mediators, to end the Israeli war in Gaza.”
It added that the indirect consultations will address “the field conditions and details of the exchange process for all Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners, in line with President Trump’s proposal, in the hope of putting an end to the war and the suffering of the Palestinian people, which has continued for two years.”
The ministry noted that the talks will be held “within the framework of efforts to build on the regional and international momentum created by President Trump’s plan to stop the war in Gaza.”
The state-run Al-Qahera News channel earlier said, citing unnamed Egyptian sources, that the Hamas and Israeli delegations will discuss “preparing on-the-ground conditions in Gaza for the prisoner exchange process.”
A senior Egyptian security source confirmed that both Hamas and Israeli delegations are expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday and Monday for the talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Saturday that he instructed his negotiating team to head to Egypt for “a limited number of days.”
“I hope that in the coming days we will be able to announce the return of all our hostages – alive and dead – in one batch, while the army remains deep inside Gaza and in the areas it controls,” Netanyahu said in a recorded speech.
He claimed that the second stage of the agreement would involve dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities in Gaza.
“The Gaza Strip will become demilitarized either through an agreement or by military means,” he said.
Netanyahu alleged that he had coordinated with Trump on “an initiative that increased pressure on Hamas and led to its approval of our plan to end the war.”
Hamas said on Friday that it had delivered its response to Trump’s ceasefire plan, declaring its readiness to release all Israeli captives, both alive and deceased.
The group also said it is willing to hand over the Gaza administration to a technocratic Palestinian authority based on national consensus, backed by Arab and Islamic states.
On Friday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he believed Hamas was “ready for lasting peace” and urged Israel to “immediately stop bombing Gaza” in order to secure the release of Israeli captives.
On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled the 20-point plan, including the release of Israeli captives within 72 hours of Israel’s approval, a ceasefire, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Tel Aviv estimates that 48 Israeli captives remain in Gaza, including 20 alive. Israel, meanwhile, holds around 11,100 Palestinian captives, many of whom face torture, hunger, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and most of the infrastructure has been reduced to rubble.