A delegation from the Palestinian Hamas movement, led by the radical leader of the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayy, arrived in Egypt to resume indirect talks with Israel on a ceasefire in the enclave, the radicals' Telegram channel reported.
„A delegation from the movement, led by Khalil al-Hayy, arrived in Egypt to participate in talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners“, the statement said.
There is still no information about which other members of the Hamas politburo will participate in the consultations.
A day earlier, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced that a new a round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas. The parties plan to discuss an agreement based on the plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. The venue for the consultations was not announced. On Saturday, the Egyptian television channel Al-Qahira Al-Ikhbariya reported that the meetings were planned for Cairo, but the pan-Arab channel Al Hadath claimed that the talks could be held in Sharm el-Sheikh.
On September 29, the White House presented the American leader's “comprehensive plan“ aimed at resolving the conflict in Gaza. The document consists of 20 points. It provides for the imposition of temporary external rule in the Palestinian enclave and the deployment of international forces there. Israel announced its agreement with this plan.
On October 3, Hamas submitted a response to Trump's proposal to the mediators. The movement expressed its readiness to release all living Israeli hostages and hand over the bodies of the dead. However, Hamas Politburo member Musa Abu Marzouk expressed doubt that all hostages can be released within 72 hours, as stipulated in the US president's plan.
US President Donald Trump said on the Truth Social social network that the first phase of his plan to resolve the situation in the Gaza Strip could be completed next week.
„This weekend, there are very positive discussions with Hamas and countries around the world about the release of hostages, ending the war in Gaza, but most importantly - finally achieving long-awaited peace in the Middle East. "These negotiations are going very well and are moving quickly," the US president said, adding that working groups would meet in Egypt on September 6 to finalize the final details.
“They tell me that the first phase will be completed this week, and I urge everyone to move quickly“, Trump said, noting that delays risked “massive bloodshed, which nobody wants“.
“We don't want to send you into battle unless we have to. We put out a lot of fires. Maybe some of you will get angry and say, “What is he doing? We want to fight.“ But what if we resolve conflicts my way? "We're pretty close to resolving one that's been going on for 3,000 years, but I don't want to talk about it until it's over," said Donald Trump, speaking at the Atlantic Fleet's main base in Norfolk, Virginia.