Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he expects to announce the release of all Gaza hostages “in the coming days,” as Israel and Hamas gear up for indirect talks in Egypt on Monday over a new U.S.-backed plan to end the war, News.Az reports citing the Telegraph India.
In a brief statement late Saturday, Netanyahu said he has sent a delegation to Egypt “to finalise technical details,” adding that “our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days.”
But Netanyahu signalled there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. He said Israel's military will continue to hold territories it controls in Gaza, and that Hamas will be disarmed in the plan's second phase, diplomatically “or through a military path by us.”
The prime minister spoke after Hamas said it has accepted some elements of the US plan. President Donald Trump welcomed the militant group's statement but on Saturday warned that “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off.”
Trump also ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Some in Gaza City reported a notable easing of Israeli strikes Saturday, though hospital officials said at least 22 people were killed, including women and children.
Israel's army said leaders instructed it to prepare for the US plan's first phase. Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said an official who was not authorised to speak to the media on the record.
Still, an Israeli strike on Gaza City's Tuffah neighbourhood killed at least 17 and injured 25 others, said Al-Ahli hospital director Fadel Naim. “The strikes are still ongoing,” Naim said. Israel's military said it struck a Hamas member and “regrets any harm caused to uninvolved civilians.”
Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiyah earlier Saturday said Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza City.
