Negotiators began arriving in Cairo on Sunday, October 5, for crucial discussions aimed at ending nearly two years of the Israeli war on Gaza and securing the release of captives held in the territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed optimism that the remaining captives could be freed within days. The diplomatic momentum followed Hamas’s positive response to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s roadmap for post-war Gaza. Netanyahu announced that Israeli negotiators had been instructed to travel to Egypt to finalise technical details, while Cairo confirmed it would host a Hamas delegation to discuss the exchange of Israeli and Palestinian detainees. Trump also dispatched envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Cairo, warning Hamas against delays in reaching an agreement.
Hamas declared its approval for releasing all Israeli prisoners, including remains, in line with Trump’s proposal. The announcement prompted Trump to hail the group’s response as a step towards “lasting peace” and to instruct Israel to halt its bombardment of Gaza. However, Israeli air strikes continued across the Strip on Saturday, with at least 57 people killed, 40 of them in Gaza City, according to civil defence officials. Residents reported intensified attacks despite calls for a ceasefire, with Israeli forces warning civilians not to return to parts of Gaza City. The talks in Cairo come just two days before the second anniversary of the war, underscoring the urgency of diplomatic efforts amid ongoing violence.
Hamas has insisted it must play a role in shaping Gaza’s future, in contrast to Trump’s roadmap, which excludes the group from post-war governance. The plan calls for a halt to Israeli bombing, the release of captives within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal, and the disarmament of Hamas, with the territory to be administered by a technocratic body under a transitional authority led by Trump. In Gaza’s Al-Mawasi area, residents celebrated Hamas’s announcement, viewing Trump’s intervention as a decisive step to pressure Israel into compliance. Since the war began in October 2023, at least 67,074 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed, with more than 166,000 others injured.