Israelis prepared to mourn the dead on Tuesday as the nation marks two years since Hamas’ 7 October attack plunged the region into a devastating war, while Israel and Hamas hold indirect talks in Egypt.
Donald Trump has said “tremendous progress” has been made after talks on a Gaza peace plan got underway between Israel and Hamas in Egypt.
An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the parties wrapped up the first round of negotiations after several hours at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, and the discussions were set to resume the following afternoon, the day of the conflict’s anniversary.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the parties have agreed on most of the first-phase terms, which include the release of hostages and establishing a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Israel is still pounding Gaza with deadly airstrikes despite the US president’s order to stop. Gaza’s health ministry said the Palestinian death toll reached 67,160 on Monday. The war began following Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel, which killed nearly 1,200 people.
Essentials of Trump’s ceasefire plan
Under Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, all hostilities would – in theory – immediately end. Under the deal, Hamas would release all hostages it holds, living or dead, within 72 hours.
The militants still have 48 hostages. Israel believes about 20 of them are alive.
Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons and 1,700 people detained from Gaza since the war began, including all women and children.
Israel also would hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each body of a hostage handed over.
Israeli troops would withdraw from Gaza after Hamas disarms, and an international security force would be deployed. The territory would be placed under an international board of governance, with Trump overseeing it and former prime minister Tony Blair named as an example of a member.
An interim administration of Palestinian technocrats would run day-to-day affairs. Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure, including tunnels, would be dismantled. Members who pledge to live peacefully would be granted amnesty. Those who wish to leave Gaza can.
Palestinians wouldn’t be expelled from Gaza. Large amounts of humanitarian aid would be allowed and would be run by “neutral international bodies,” including the United Nations and the Red Crescent.
Who’s at the Gaza peace talks?
US envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the US negotiating team for the Israel-Hamas peace talks, according to a senior Egyptian official Saturday.
Local Egyptian media said that Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law, arrived in Egypt and are expected to join the talks.
The Israelis are led by top negotiator Ron Dermer, while Khalil al-Hayyah leads the Hamas delegation. Netanyahu’s office said that foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk would also be present for Israel among others.
It’s not clear how long the talks would last.
Netanyahu said they would be “confined to a few days maximum,” and Trump has said that Hamas must move quickly, “or else all bets will be off.”
Hamas officials have warned more time may be needed to locate bodies of hostages buried under rubble.
Key talks to end the war in Gaza begin
Israel and Hamas began indirect talks on ending the war in Gaza on Monday, after both sides signalled support for US president Donald Trump’s peace plan.
The talks in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh are brokered by the US and aim at hammering out details for the plan’s first phase.
That includes a ceasefire to allow for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Trump’s plan has received wide international backing and raised hopes for an end to a devastating war that has upended global politics, left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and the Gaza Strip in ruins.
The war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251.
Many uncertainties remain around the latest plan, including the demand for Hamas to disarm and the future governance of Gaza.
Recap: US claims Israel needs to stop heavy bombardment for hostages to be released
The US has said Israel’s heavy bombardment of Gaza would need to stop for hostages to be released.
Israel says it is largely heeding Mr Trump’s call.
The Israeli military said it is mostly carrying out defensive strikes to protect troops, though dozens of Palestinians have been killed since the military’s statement on Saturday night.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Monday that the bodies of 19 people, including two aid-seekers killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire, had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours and another 96 were wounded.
The deaths brought the Palestinian toll to 67,160 since the Hamas attack on October 7 2023 triggered the war, with nearly 170,000 wounded, the ministry said.
The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says more than half of the deaths were women and children.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
Israel marks two years of 7 October Hamas attack
Israelis prepared to mourn the dead on Tuesday as the nation marks two years since Hamas’ 7 October attack plunged the region into a devastating war, while Israel and Hamas hold indirect talks in Egypt.
The main memorial ceremony is being organised by bereaved families, not the government, reflecting deep divisions over prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, which many blame for the failure to secure a ceasefire that would free the remaining hostages held by the militant group.
Analysis: Love him or hate him, Trump just showed Biden and Democrats how to handle Israel’s Netanyahu. But can his Gaza ‘peace’ endure?
Liberals hate Donald Trump’s demanding and sometimes petulant approach to foreign policy. But it may have achieved what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris could not, writes John Bowden, The Independent’s Washington DC Correspondent.
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Recap: Israel and Hamas officials finish first rounds of talks
Israeli and Hamas officials have wrapped up the first round of talks at an Egyptian resort on a US-drafted peace plan to end the ruinous war in Gaza on the eve of its second anniversary.
The talks, which went on for several hours, unfolded amid many questions about the plan presented by US President Donald Trump last week, including the disarmament of the militant group – a key Israeli demand – and the future governance of Gaza.
Mr Trump has indicated that an agreement on Gaza could pave the way for a Middle East peace process that could reshape the region.
Despite Trump ordering Israel to stop the bombing, Israeli forces continued to pound Gaza with airstrikes, killing at least 19 people in the last 24 hours, the territory’s Health Ministry said.
Trump claims there’s a ‘really good chance’ at a deal
“I really think we’re going to have a deal,” Trump told reporters on Monday at the White House as the delegations met in Egypt. “We have a really good chance of making a deal, and it’ll be a lasting deal.”
But both sides are seeking clarifications of crucial details, including those that have derailed previous attempts to end the war and could defy any quick resolution.
Trump has pushed Israel to suspend its bombing of Gaza for the talks. Gaza residents said Israel had scaled back its offensive substantially, although not halted it altogether.
Gaza health authorities reported 19 people killed by Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, around a third of the typical daily toll in recent weeks, when Israel has been mounting one of its biggest offensives of the war in Gaza City.
Watch: Gaza flotilla activists allege mistreatment while being detained in Israel
What are the essentials of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan
All hostilities would – in theory – immediately end. Under the deal, Hamas would release all hostages it holds, living or dead, within 72 hours. The militants still have 48 hostages. Israel believes 20 of them are alive.
Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons and 1,700 people detained from Gaza since the war began, including all women and children. Israel also would hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each body of a hostage handed over.
Israeli troops would withdraw from Gaza after Hamas disarms, and an international security force would deploy. The territory would be placed under international governance, with Trump and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing it.
An interim administration of Palestinian technocrats would run day-to-day affairs. Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure, including tunnels, would be dismantled. Members who pledge to live peacefully would be granted amnesty. Those who wish to leave Gaza can.
Palestinians wouldn’t be expelled from Gaza. Large amounts of humanitarian aid would be allowed and would be run by “neutral international bodies,” including the United Nations and the Red Crescent.
