TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza “in the coming days,” as Israel and Hamas prepare for indirect talks in Egypt on Monday on a new U.S. plan to end the war.
In a brief statement late Saturday, Netanyahu said he sent a delegation to Egypt “to finalize technical details,” adding that “our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days.”
Netanyahu indicated there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. He said Israel’s military will continue to hold territories it controls in Gaza, and that Hamas will be disarmed in the plan’s second phase, diplomatically “or through a military path by us.”
The prime minister spoke after Hamas said it 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.”
Fire and smoke rises Saturday after an Israeli army shelling in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip.
Trump later said the ceasefire would begin immediately once Hamas confirms the “initial withdrawal line” in Gaza. A map with his social media post appeared to show much of Gaza still open to Israeli forces.
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 moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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 claimed 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.
People look at photos of hostages held by Hamas on Saturday in Jerusalem.
War’s anniversary
Trump appears determined to deliver on pledges to end the war and return all hostages ahead of the second anniversary of the Hamas attack that sparked it on Oct. 7, 2023. His proposal unveiled last week has widespread international support.
Monday’s indirect talks 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, Gaza’s second most powerful militant group, said it accepted Hamas’ response after rejecting the plan days earlier.
President Donald Trump speaks Tuesday in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
Progress and uncertainty
Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — about 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It 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. It didn't address the issue of Hamas demilitarizing.
Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general and chairman of Israel’s Defense and Security Forum, said while Israel can afford to stop firing for a few days in Gaza so the hostages can be released, it will resume its offensive if Hamas doesn't lay down its arms.
People attend a rally calling for the release of all hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in Tel Aviv, Israel, ahead of the second anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war.
Others said Hamas' position fundamentally remains unchanged. Its rhetoric "simply repackages old demands in softer language," said Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.
Still, two vocal members of the right-wing bloc of Netanyahu’s coalition, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, criticized the plan’s progress but didn’t threaten to immediately leave the government.
Some speakers at the large weekly rally in Tel Aviv over the war expressed a cautious hope not heard for months.
A group representing some hostages' families said the prospect of seeing loved ones return “has never been closer.” They appealed to Trump to keep pushing “with full force” and warned that “extremists on both sides” will try to sabotage the plan.
Meanwhile, protests erupted across Europe calling for the war's end.
Demonstrators march Saturday during a national demonstration in support of the population of Gaza in Rome.
'Truly tired'
Some Palestinians in Gaza worried that talks will break down again.
“We want practical implementation. We want a truce on the ground,” said Sameer Qudeeh in Khan Younis.
“I hope Hamas ends the war, because we are truly tired,” said Mohammad Shaat in Khan Younis, as anxious people roamed the shattered streets.
On Saturday, Israel's army warned Palestinians against trying to return to Gaza City, calling it a "dangerous combat zone." Two residents said that since the morning, Israeli tanks and troops had not advanced but artillery shells and airstrikes were heard.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll in the war topped 67,000. The toll jumped after the ministry said it added more than 700 names whose data was verified.
The Health Ministry does not say how many were civilians or combatants, but it says women and children make up about half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
