Eyes on Egypt before crucial peace talks in Gaza

All eyes are on Egypt, because indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel on the war in Gaza are expected to start on Monday, the United States and Israel pushing for the rapid exit of the hostages.

The talks intervene after Hamas accepted certain parts of a 20 -point American peace plan, in particular by releasing hostages and putting Gaza governance to Palestinian technocrats, but seeks negotiations on other questions.

The group’s response did not mention the key requirements of its disarmament and playing no future role in Gaza’s governance.

Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes continued in Gaza, despite President Donald Trump by telling Israel to “stop the attack immediately” Friday after Hamas responded to the proposed plan.

Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told journalists on Sunday that “although some bombings have actually stopped inside the Gaza Strip, there is no cease-fire in place”.

Bedrosian said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given orders “to turn for defensive purposes … If there is a threat to their life on the battlefield in Gaza”.

Gaza’s reports say that Israel has continued the air strikes and tank shots overnight and Sunday, destroying a number of residential buildings in Gaza City.

A BBC correspondent heard explosions from the interior of Gaza and saw a plume of smoke near the border in Kibbutz Be’eri, Israel, Sunday morning.

65 other people were killed by Israeli military operations within 24 hours preceding at noon, the Gaza Ministry of Health said in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told BBC news partner CBS News, which the bombing should stop to facilitate hostage release.

“You cannot free up hostages when there are still ongoing bombings … which must stop, but you must also work on the other logistics,” he told the Nation of CBS News on Sunday.

“We want to take out the hostages as soon as possible,” he added.

The 20 -point plan offers an immediate end to the fighting and the release of 48 hostages, of which only 20 are considered alive, in exchange for hundreds of Gazans detained.

Netanyahu said on Saturday in a television address that he hoped to announce the release of the hostages “in the coming days”.

The Prime Minister “clearly said that in an agreement with the Trump administration talks will be limited to a few days maximum,” said Bedrosian on Sunday.

Israeli negotiations will go to Egypt on Sunday evening so that crucial talks start on Monday. The American special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Qatari, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, will also assist.

The talks should be among the most substantial since the start of the war and could determine whether a way towards the end of the conflict is finally at hand.

Many Palestinians have described Hamas’ response to the peace plan as unexpected, after days of indications that the group was preparing to reject or at least condition its acceptance of the proposal of the Trump peace plan.

Instead, Hamas has refrained from including its traditional “red lines” in the official declaration, a movement that many interpret as a sign of external pressure.

A senior Palestinian official familiar with talks told the BBC that Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators had played a major role in convincing Hamas to reduce his objections and leave controversial points such as the fate of his weapons, post-war governance of Gaza and other concerns for the negotiation table.

Many gasans warn that this tactical flexibility has a considerable risk.

Each additional day of delay means more death, destruction and travel for hundreds of thousands of gas.

However, Hamas’ decision to participate in talks without explicit preconditions could also be considered recognition of its limited lever effect after almost two years of war.

Trump, when he was asked Jake Tapper de CNN what would happen if Hamas insists on staying in power in Gaza, replied in a text message that the group would be confronted with “complete obliteration”.

The American president posted on social networks that Israel had accepted a first line of withdrawal in Gaza, the first of a traction proposal by the Israeli forces.

According to population distribution data in the Gaza Strip, the withdrawal card published by Trump initially excluded nearly 900,000 Palestinians to return home.

The proposed lines are carved rafah to the southernmost edge, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia in the north, nearly a quarter of the city of Gaza and half of Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah in the center and in the south.

Hamas had rejected a similar card during the previous talks in March and May this year.

The Israeli army launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the attack by Hamas against southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Since then, 67,139 have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health.

International journalists have been prohibited by Israel from entering the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, which makes the assertions on both sides difficult.

For the moment, the region retains its breath while the negotiators are preparing to meet in Egypt, hoping that despite deep distrust and political fragility, this tower could finally open the way to a cease-fire.