Overview

• President Donald Trump set a Sunday 6 p.m. Washington deadline for Hamas to accept his 20-point proposal, warning of severe consequences if it refuses.
• Hamas said it will free all Israeli hostages, alive and deceased, under the U.S. exchange formula and transfer Gaza’s administration to an independent technocratic Palestinian body, while seeking immediate mediated negotiations.
• Senior Hamas figures rejected immediate disarmament before an Israeli withdrawal and called the 72-hour deadline to return hostages unrealistic, while signaling a desire to participate in shaping Gaza’s future governance.
• Israel signaled readiness to implement the plan’s first phase and reduced or suspended bombardment to enable a possible exchange, as Trump urged a halt to strikes and later thanked Israel for a temporary pause.
• Egypt will host Israel and Hamas for talks, with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner expected to attend, as negotiators work through an exchange involving about 48 hostages for 250 prisoners serving life terms and roughly 1,700 detainees; Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the hostages’ return soon.