Overview

• Egypt announced delegations from Israel and Hamas will meet in Cairo on Oct. 6 with Qatar, U.S. envoy Stephen Witkoff, and Jared Kushner expected to attend.
• Negotiators say that if an agreement is reached, Hamas is expected to hand over all surviving hostages within 72 hours, while the return of remains could take longer.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a major result is close and voiced intent to conclude the negotiations within days, describing a plan that begins with hostage releases and proceeds to Hamas disarmament and Gaza’s demilitarization.
• Families of those held in Gaza rallied in Tel Aviv expressing exhaustion with delays yet renewed hope that a breakthrough is finally possible.
• Several dozen of the roughly 250 people seized in 2023 are still believed held, with the initial Hamas attack killing about 1,200 in Israel and subsequent Israeli operations causing roughly 66,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza.