Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in a televised speech over the weekend that Israel is “on the verge of a very big breakthrough,” referring to the peace plan that he said was being worked on intensively. He announced that Israeli negotiators would travel to Egypt for new indirect talks that could lead to the release of the remaining hostages “in the coming days.”
Netanyahu described the ceasefire as evidence that diplomatic and military pressure has forced Hamas to begin the process of releasing the hostages it is holding in Gaza. He reiterated that the militant group must disarm “either through diplomatic means according to Trump’s plan, or militarily by us.” So far, Hamas has given no public signal that it would accept disarmament in the event of a peace deal.
As indirect talks between Israel and Hamas are set to begin soon in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the composition of the participating delegations has been made public. The United States will be represented by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law, former presidential adviser Jared Kushner. Qatar, another key mediator in the process, will be represented by Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
The Israeli delegation will be led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, while Hamas will be represented by Khalil al-Hayya – who was the target of an Israeli airstrike in Doha earlier this month. That attack killed five Hamas members and a member of Qatari security forces, but Hamas’s top leaders survived.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has continued its strikes in Gaza. In a recent statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had struck “a number” of targets in Gaza City, including a group armed with explosives. According to the Gaza Civil Defense, 24 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours.
Gaza City remains at the center of an expanded Israeli operation announced by Netanyahu over the summer. Footage from the city shows plumes of smoke rising from buildings after recent airstrikes, while peace talks in Egypt are expected to determine whether this will be the start of a more lasting ceasefire.
Taken from BBC
