Netanyahu hopes to announce release of all hostages from Gaza ‘in coming days’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza “in the coming days”, as indirect talks with Hamas continue in Egypt on Monday on a new US plan to end the war.
In a brief statement on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu said he has sent a delegation to Egypt “to finalise technical details”, adding that “our goal is to contain these negotiations to a timeframe of a few days”.
He spoke after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of the US plan.
US President Donald Trump welcomed the Hamas statement but on Saturday warned that “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off”.
Earlier Saturday, Israel’s army said the country’s leaders had instructed it to prepare for the first phase of the US plan to end the war in Gaza.
Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said one official. The official said no forces have been removed from the territory.
But Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiyah told the Associated Press that Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza City, while bombing had “significantly subsided”.
The army statement came hours after Mr Trump ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza once Hamas said it had accepted some elements of his plan.
Mr 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 announced earlier this week has widespread international support.
On Friday, Mr Netanyahu’s office said Israel was committed to ending the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Mr Netanyahu is under increasing pressure to end the conflict.
The official told the AP that Mr Netanyahu made the rare late-night statement on the Sabbath, saying that Israel has started to prepare for Mr Trump’s plan because of pressure from the US.
The official also said a negotiating team was getting ready to travel. Egypt’s state-run broadcaster Al-Qahera News, which is close to security agencies, reported that indirect talks between Hamas and Israel will start on Sunday.
A senior Egyptian official said US envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Egypt to head the US negotiating team in the talks to release the Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli detention.
The talks also will discuss maps showing the expected withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain areas in Gaza, said the official.
The official involved in the ceasefire negotiations also said Arab mediators are preparing for a comprehensive dialogue among Palestinians aimed at unifying their position on 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.
Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages, about 20 of them believed to be alive, within three days. It also would give up power and disarm.
In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of Gaza, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction.
Hamas said it was willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but that other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians.
Its statement also did not address the issue of Hamas demilitarising, a key part of the deal.
A group representing some families of hostages said the prospect of seeing loved ones return “has never been closer”.
They appealed to Mr Trump to keep pushing “with full force” and warned that “extremists on both sides” will try to sabotage the plan.
Palestinians in Gaza tried to piece together what the plan means in real terms.
“We want practical implementation. We want a truce on the ground,” said Sameer Qudeeh in Khan Younis. He worried that talks will break down again.
“I hope Hamas ends the war, because we are truly tired,” said Mohammad Shaat in Khan Younis, as anxious Palestinians roamed the shattered streets.
Israeli troops were still laying siege to Gaza City, the focus of its latest offensive. On Saturday, Israel’s army warned Palestinians against trying to return to the city, calling it a “dangerous combat zone”.
Two Gaza City residents told the AP that since the morning, Israeli tanks and troops had not advanced but artillery shells and airstrikes were still heard.
“We can still see the quadcopters everywhere,” Mohamed al-Nashar said.
In southern Gaza, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said its Saraya field hospital received 10 bodies and more than 70 injured after Israeli strikes on Saturday.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll in the war has topped 67,000.
The Health Ministry does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says women and children make up around half the dead.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
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