Israel and Hamas prepare for negotiations in Egypt ahead of possible ceasefire

Israel and Hamas prepared for indirect negotiations successful Egypt connected Monday, arsenic hopes for a imaginable ceasefire began to physique and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a truce and hostage merchandise could instrumentality signifier this week.

The negotiations volition instrumentality spot aft President Donald Trump welcomed the militant group's connection it has accepted immoderate elements of the U.S. plan. Israel had antecedently said it supported the caller U.S. effort to extremity the war.

Egypt volition big delegations from Israel and Hamas connected Monday to sermon the projected speech of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, the country's overseas ministry said. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is besides joining the talks, according to an Egyptian official, who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that helium wasn't authorized to little reporters.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the existent concern is "the closest we've travel to getting each of the hostages released."

Speaking connected ABC's "This Week,'' helium described 2 phases aft Hamas accepts Trump's framework: the hostages are released and Israel pulls backmost to the "yellow line," wherever it was successful August 2024.

The overseas ministers of 8 Muslim-majority countries issued a associated connection Sunday welcoming steps toward a imaginable ceasefire.

In backing Hamas' willingness to manus implicit the moving of Gaza to a transitional committee, the ministers called for an "immediate motorboat of negotiations to hold connected mechanisms to instrumentality the proposal."

They besides underlined their committedness to the instrumentality of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, unifying Gaza and the West Bank, and reaching an statement connected information starring to a "full Israeli withdrawal" from Gaza.

Rubio noted that these decisions regarding a governing operation oregon planetary radical to negociate Gaza tin instrumentality spot simultaneously with the archetypal measurement of the ceasefire, an speech of hostages for Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel.

"That's the portion that I deliberation is goin; g to beryllium a small tougher to enactment through, but that's what's going to supply permanency to the extremity of the conflict," helium said.

Trump has besides ordered Israel to halt bombing Gaza, but residents and section hospitals said strikes continued crossed the Gaza Strip implicit the weekend.

"While definite bombings person really stopped wrong of the Gaza Strip, there's nary ceasefire successful spot astatine this constituent successful time," Israeli authorities spokeswoman Shosh Badrosian told journalists. She besides said Netanyahu is successful "regular contact" with Trump and that the premier curate has stressed that the talks successful Egypt "will beryllium confined to a fewer days maximum, with nary tolerance for maneuvers that volition hold talks by Hamas."

At slightest 8 radical were killed Sunday successful aggregate strikes successful the city, according to the Shifa hospital, which received the casualties. Half of them were killed successful a onslaught that deed a radical of radical successful Gaza City, the infirmary said.

Four radical besides were killed successful a shooting adjacent an assistance organisation tract successful the confederate metropolis of Rafah, according to Nasser hospital. The Israeli subject said it was not progressive successful the shooting and did not instantly remark connected the strikes.

"We're connected the brink, and we don't cognize whether 1 volition dice of a onslaught oregon starvation," said Mahmoud Hashem, a Palestinian begetter of five, who is forced to structure successful a structure successful the halfway of Gaza City.

Gaza's Health Ministry said the Palestinian decease toll successful the warfare reached 67,139 connected Sunday, with astir 170,000 injured. The Health Ministry does not differentiate however galore of those killed were civilians oregon combatants, but says women and children marque up astir fractional of the dead. The ministry is portion of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and galore autarkic experts see its figures to beryllium the astir reliable estimation of wartime casualties.

The Israeli subject said Saturday it is continuing to enactment to dismantle Hamas infrastructure crossed the portion and warned residents not to instrumentality to bluish Gaza.

Rubio said the U.S. volition look into Israel's operations implicit the weekend, due to the fact that Israel cannot beryllium engaged successful progressive combat if they are moving toward a deal.

"The Israelis person said that they would lone woody with imminent threats, truthful we'll look into immoderate of that due to the fact that that's going to beryllium a cardinal component," Rubio said.

"We person to marque definite Hamas is besides doing their portion successful this regard. But, determination are a batch of opportunities present for whoever wants to sabotage it to bash so," helium added.