Israel strikes Gaza, killing 24 before Egypt talks on Trump ceasefire plan

Israel and Hamas are preparing for indirect negotiations successful Egypt, amid hopes for a imaginable statement connected ending the Gaza warfare based connected Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan.

Palestinian radical Hamas said connected Sunday that its delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, had arrived successful Sharm el-Sheikh and would statesman the negotiations connected Monday “on the mechanisms for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of [Israeli] concern forces and a captive exchange”.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Accept Trump Gaza program oregon pander to far-right, Netanyahu indispensable decide
• list 2 of 3To extremity the starvation successful Gaza, bring backmost UNRWA
• list 3 of 3Gaza bombarded contempt Donald Trump telling Israel to stop

The Israeli delegation, led by apical negotiator Ron Dermer, volition permission connected Monday for the talks, the bureau of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Hopes for a imaginable ceasefire successful Gaza grew aft Netanyahu said connected Friday that helium was hopeful a woody to merchandise each the remaining captives could beryllium announced this week.

United States President Trump said the talks were advancing quickly. “These talks person been precise successful, and proceeding rapidly. The method teams volition again conscionable Monday, successful Egypt, to enactment done and clarify the last details,” helium said successful a societal media station connected Sunday. “I americium told that the archetypal signifier should beryllium completed this week, and I americium asking everyone to MOVE FAST.”

Despite a telephone from Trump for Israel to intermission its Gaza offensive, the Israeli service has continued its bombing campaign. At slightest 24 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops connected Sunday, sources told Al Jazeera Arabic. Among the victims were 4 asylum seekers who were changeable adjacent an assistance organisation centre northbound of Rafah, the Nasser Medical Complex said.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from the municipality of az-Zuwayda successful cardinal Gaza, said attacks were continuing some successful the areas wherever radical person been displaced to and successful Gaza City, wherever the bulk of Israeli subject assaults and the crushed violative person taken spot successful caller weeks.

“The Palestinians were hoping for a bully night’s sleep, but that didn’t happen,” Mahmoud said.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said much than 2,700 families, comprising much than 8,500 people, person been wiped disconnected the civilian registry successful 2 years of conflict. At slightest 1,015 children nether 1 twelvemonth aged person been killed, on with 1,670 aesculapian staff, 254 journalists, and 140 civilian defence rescue workers.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said connected Sunday that the warfare successful Gaza had not yet ended contempt the concern being “the closest we’ve travel to getting each of the hostages released”.

Rubio urged Israel to halt bombing Gaza up of the discussions successful Egypt. “You can’t merchandise hostages successful the mediate of strikes, truthful the strikes volition person to stop,” helium told US broadcaster CBS. “There can’t beryllium a warfare going connected successful the mediate of it.”

According to Trump’s plan, Hamas would merchandise the remaining captives and Israel would propulsion backmost troops successful Gaza to the “yellow line”, wherever it was successful August.

Despite the presumption of the woody intelligibly stipulating Israel’s withdrawal, Israeli media quoted Defence Minister Israel Katz, saying that Israel would stay successful power of the Strip. “Hamas volition beryllium disarmed, the Gaza Strip volition beryllium demilitarised, and the [Israeli army] volition stay successful controlling areas to support the communities,” helium said.

Arab backing for Hamas successful negotiations

The overseas ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates issued a associated connection connected Sunday, successful which they welcomed the steps taken by Hamas connected Trump’s Gaza plan, including the merchandise of each Israeli captives and the contiguous motorboat of negotiations connected implementation mechanisms.

“The Foreign Ministers besides welcomed President Trump’s telephone connected Israel to instantly halt the bombing and to statesman implementation of the speech agreement, and they expressed appreciation for his committedness to establishing bid successful the region,” the associated connection said.

They besides welcomed Hamas for stating “its readiness to manus implicit the medication of Gaza to a transitional Palestinian Administrative Committee of autarkic technocrats”.

Izzat al-Risheq, a elder subordinate of Hamas’s governmental bureau, said the connection marked an “important support” for efforts to extremity the war. He besides welcomed the “clear backing for the Palestinian presumption successful the negotiations, [which] strengthens the chances of reaching a lasting ceasefire agreement”.

“We look guardant to further Arab and Islamic enactment successful bid to halt the aggression and genocide being inflicted connected our radical successful the Gaza Strip, starring to an extremity of the concern and the realisation of our Palestinian people’s aspirations to found their autarkic authorities with Jerusalem arsenic its capital,” al-Risheq said.

Trump has dispatched 2 envoys to Egypt, according to the White House, sending his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his main Middle East negotiator, Steve Witkoff.

The US president has told Hamas that erstwhile it agrees to Israel’s archetypal subject withdrawal enactment successful Gaza, an contiguous ceasefire would beryllium triggered.

The talks are being held aft Hamas agreed to merchandise the Israeli captives and judge immoderate different presumption successful Trump’s Gaza plan, but questions situation vexing issues, specified arsenic Israel’s withdrawal from the Strip and Hamas’s disarmament.

Asked by reporters whether determination was immoderate flexibility connected his 20-point Gaza plan, Trump suggested connected Sunday that immoderate changes would inactive beryllium possible. “We don’t request flexibility due to the fact that everybody has beauteous overmuch agreed to it. But there’ll ever beryllium immoderate changes,” helium said.