Cairo summit kicks off Trump's hostage-Gaza plan
Shafaq News – Cairo
Israeli and US officials will meet in Egypt on Sunday to launch the first phase of President Donald Trump’s plan for releasing hostages and ending the war in Gaza, Israeli Channel 12 reported on Saturday.
Citing a political source, Channel 12 indicated that Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will lead the Israeli delegation, with initial discussions focused on the technical coordination of the hostage release mechanism. Substantive negotiations on subsequent phases of the plan are expected to follow.
The report pointed to two main hurdles in the talks: Hamas’s refusal to separate the hostage release from wider negotiations on Israel’s withdrawal and post-war arrangements, and Israeli concerns that the group seeks to tie the captives’ fate to its long-term demands such as Israel’s withdrawal and plans for the “day after.”
Earlier, Hamas confirmed it had delivered its formal response to mediators, agreeing to release all captives — living and deceased — as part of the proposed exchange, and to transfer Gaza’s administration to a body of independent figures.
Israel acknowledged that the 72-hour window for releasing hostages may be extended without affecting the overall release schedule. The timeline for returning the dead is also expected to be delayed due to field conditions, though the key releases have been determined.
