Negotiators due in Cairo for Gaza ceasefire, hostage release talks

Israeli and Hamas negotiators were converging on Cairo Sunday for talks to end nearly two years of war in Gaza, with Israel's leader expressing hope that hostages held in the devastated territory could be released within days.

The diplomatic push follows Palestinian militant group Hamas' positive response to U.S. President Donald Trump's roadmap for the release of captives in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday he had instructed negotiators to go to Egypt "to finalise the technical details", while Cairo confirmed it would also be hosting a delegation from Hamas for talks on "the ground conditions and details of the exchange of all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners".

Egyptian state-linked media said the warring parties would hold indirect talks on Sunday and Monday, just before the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war.

The White House said Trump had sent two envoys to Egypt -- his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.

The U.S. president warned he would "not tolerate delay" from Hamas, urging the Islamist group to move quickly towards a deal "or else all bets will be off".

Trump said on Truth Social that Israel had agreed to an initial line of withdrawal in Gaza and that this had been shared with Hamas.

"When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal," he posted, alongside a map of the proposed line.

In his televised statement, Netanyahu said that "in the coming days we will be able to bring back all our hostages... during the Sukkot holidays," referring to the week-long Jewish festival that begins on Monday.

"Hamas will be disarmed... either diplomatically via Trump's plan or militarily by us," he said.

On Friday night, Hamas had announced "its approval for the release of all hostages -- living and remains -- according to the exchange formula included in President Trump's proposal".

Trump immediately hailed the statement as evidence the group was "ready for a lasting PEACE", calling on Israel to stop its bombing.

- Strikes continue -

Despite Trump's call for a pause in operations, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Gaza.

AFPTV footage showed thick smoke billowing into the skyline over the coastal territory on Sunday.

Gaza civil defense agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said Israeli strikes killed at least five people were killed in Gaza City in the morning, adding there were several attacks through the night.

On Saturday, nearly 60 people were killed in Israeli strikes, including 40 in Gaza City alone, the agency reported.

Israeli forces have carried out a sweeping air and ground assault in recent weeks around the city.

Mahmud al-Ghazi, 39, a resident of Al-Rimal neighbourhood in Gaza City, said "Israel has actually escalated its attacks" since Trump's call for a pause.

"Who will stop Israel now? We need the negotiations to move faster to stop this genocide and the ongoing bloodshed," he said.

The Israeli military said it was still operating in Gaza City and warned residents not to return there, adding that doing so would be "extremely dangerous".

- No role for Hamas -

In its response to the Trump plan, Hamas had insisted it should have a say in the territory's future.

Trump's roadmap stipulates that Hamas and other factions "not have any role in the governance of Gaza", while also calling for a halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas's disarmament.

Under the proposal, administration of the territory would be taken up by a technocratic body overseen by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.

"Netanyahu will not be able to escape this time... (Trump) is the only one who can force Israel to comply and stop the war," said Sami Adas, 50, who lives in a tent in Gaza City with his family.

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 67,074 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Their data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.