
Cairo — A delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) arrived in Egypt on Sunday ahead of negotiations scheduled for Monday in the Red Sea city of Sharm El Sheikh, Egyptian sources told Xinhua.
The talks will focus on implementing the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, the sources confirmed. Key agenda items include the mechanism for prisoner exchanges between Hamas and Israel and the process for Hamas to surrender its weapons under the proposed agreement.
Following the meeting with Hamas, Egyptian mediators are expected to hold a separate round of discussions with an Israeli delegation, the results of which will be conveyed to US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner upon their arrival in Egypt, the sources added.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Saturday confirmed that both Israeli and Hamas delegations will meet to discuss “field conditions and details” regarding the exchange of all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners as part of the US-proposed 20-point plan.
According to President Trump, Israel has temporarily halted its bombing campaign in Gaza to allow negotiations on the hostage release and peace plan to progress.
“Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off,” Trump warned in a post on Truth Social. “I will not tolerate delay … Let’s get this done, FAST.”
In another post on Saturday, the US president stated that following negotiations, Israel has agreed to an initial withdrawal line, which has been presented to 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 wrote.
Meanwhile, 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 continued in Egypt.
With inputs from IANS