Overview

• Egypt formally invited both sides for indirect talks on Monday, with Israel’s team led by Ron Dermer and Hamas represented by senior negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Sharm el-Sheikh.
• President Trump published an initial Gaza withdrawal map and said Israel agreed to it, adding that a cease-fire would begin once Hamas confirms, with Rafah and Beit Hanoun remaining under Israeli control in the initial phase.
• Israeli officials said they are moving to implement phase one and have paused offensive operations while positioning forces defensively, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts Israel will oversee Gaza’s disarmament and threatens a return to fighting if hostages are not released by the set deadline.
• Hamas stated it is prepared in principle to release all hostages, alive and dead, contingent on freeing Palestinian prisoners and suitable field conditions, and it backed transferring Gaza governance to a technocratic Palestinian body without committing to disarmament.
• Domestic and regional pressure is intensifying, with far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatening to quit Netanyahu’s coalition, eight regional foreign ministers welcoming Hamas’s move and urging immediate negotiations, and reports describing a tense Trump–Netanyahu call over the path forward.