Israel-Hamas latest: Benjamin Netanyahu hopes to announce release of all hostages from Gaza ‘in coming days’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he plans to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza “in the coming days,” as indirect talks with Hamas continue in Egypt on a new US plan to end the war.
In a brief statement on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu confirmed a delegation had been sent to Egypt “to finalise technical details,” aiming to “contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days.”
However, he signalled there would be no full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a key demand from Hamas.
He added: “(Doubters) told me it’s too good to be true. It’s true. And with God’s help, it will happen very soon.”
The prime minister spoke after Hamas said it has accepted some elements of the U.S. 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, though hospital officials said at least 22 people were killed, including women and children.
Israel’s army said leaders instructed it to prepare for the U.S. 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 authorized to speak to the media on the record.
Still, an Israeli strike on Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood killed at least 17 and injured 25 others, said Al-Ahli hospital director Fadel Naim. “The strikes are still ongoing,” Naim said. Israel’s military said it struck a Hamas member and “regrets any harm caused to uninvolved civilians.”
Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiyah earlier Saturday said Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza City.
Trump appears determined to deliver on pledges to end the war and return all hostages ahead of the second anniversary on Tuesday of the attack that sparked it. His proposal unveiled earlier this week has widespread international support. On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said Israel was committed to ending the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The indirect talks on Monday are meant to prepare the way for the release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinians from Israeli detention, mediator Egypt said.
A senior Egyptian official said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Egypt to head the U.S. 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 authorized 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, the second most powerful militant group in Gaza, said it accepted Hamas’ response to the Trump plan. The group had rejected the proposal days earlier.
