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59m ago

Israel and Hamas Open Indirect Talks in Egypt on U.S. 20-Point Gaza Plan

The first phase centers on a hostage-prisoner exchange under a rapid timetable that negotiators say is likely to stretch.

File photo of President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at White House,
Photos of the Siman Tov family are plastered on their burnt house where all five of them were killed during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, a day before Israel marks the two-year anniversary of the attack, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
FILE.- A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
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Overview

  • Delegations convened in Sharm el-Sheikh and completed a first round Monday, with sessions to resume Tuesday as mediators shuttle between the parties.
  • Under the U.S. proposal, Hamas would return all 48 hostages — about 20 believed alive — within roughly 72 hours in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a partial Israeli pullback.
  • Egyptian and Qatari mediators are working to set the exchange mechanism, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to join, and the ICRC says it is ready to assist.
  • Key gaps persist over Hamas disarmament and Gaza’s future governance, with Hamas rejecting disarmament absent broader political guarantees and Israel insisting on it as a condition.
  • Israeli strikes continued despite U.S. pressure to halt bombing for releases, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports a death toll of about 67,000, and Israeli politics remain volatile as far-right ministers threaten Netanyahu’s coalition while opposition offers cover for a deal.