Trump appears determined to deliver on pledges to end the war and return all hostages ahead of the second anniversary on Tuesday of the attack that sparked it. His proposal unveiled earlier this week has widespread international support.
Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.Credit: Getty Images
On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said Israel was committed to ending the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Netanyahu is under increasing pressure to end the conflict. The official told the AP that Netanyahu put out the rare late-night statement on the Sabbath, saying that Israel has started to prepare for Trump’s plan due to pressure from the US.
The official also said a negotiating team was getting ready to travel. Egypt’s state-run broadcaster Al-Qahera News, which is close to security agencies, reported that indirect talks between Hamas and Israel will start Sunday.
A senior Egyptian official said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Egypt to head the U.S. negotiating team in the talks to release the Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli detention. The talks also will discuss maps showing the expected withdrawal of Israeli forces from certain areas in Gaza, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to brief the media.
