CAIRO/JERUSALEM - A delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) arrived in Egypt on Sunday to prepare for negotiations with the Egyptian side on Monday in the Red Sea city of Sharm El Sheikh, Egyptian sources told Xinhua.
The two sides will hold talks on implementing the first phase of US President Donald Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan, according to the informed sources.
The negotiation will focus on the details of enacting the first phase of the plan, the sources told Xinhua, adding that key points of discussions are expected to include the mechanism for the exchange of prisoners between Hamas and Israel, as well as the process for Hamas to hand over its weapons.
After the Hamas meeting, the Egyptian side will hold a separate meeting with an Israeli delegation. The results from both negotiations will be delivered to US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner upon their arrival in Egypt, the sources said.
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The Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Saturday confirmed the negotiation between Israeli and Hamas delegations to be held Monday to discuss "field conditions and details" for the exchange of "all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners" under the US-proposed 20-point plan.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a high-level delegation to depart for the indirect talks with Hamas in Egypt on Monday.
The team, led by Ron Dermer, Israel's minister of strategic affairs and a close associate of Netanyahu, will head to Sharm El Sheikh to discuss a US proposal to end the nearly 24-month war, while securing the release of 48 hostages still held in Gaza. The war has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, devastated the enclave and caused famine in the strip.
Israel said Saturday that it had halted all military offensive operations to capture Gaza City, shifting its forces to defensive operations only.
However, earlier on Sunday, Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir toured the northern Gaza Strip and warned that the military operations would resume if the upcoming indirect ceasefire talks fail.
Zamir visited the westernmost point of the Netzarim Corridor, a dividing line established by Israeli forces to separate northern and southern Gaza, the military said.
"There is no ceasefire, but there is a change in the operational situation," Zamir said while speaking with commanders near Gaza's seashore.
"If the political effort does not succeed, we will return to fighting. We will continue to carry out our mission while also protecting the lives of our soldiers," he added.
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Meanwhile, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned that the Israeli assault on Gaza would intensify if Hamas refuses to release hostages held in the enclave. "Should Hamas refuse to release the hostages, the IDF will again increase the intensity of its fire until Hamas is decisively defeated and all the hostages are freed," Katz said at a ceremony in Jerusalem for fallen soldiers.
Israeli forces "are operating in the heart of Gaza City and are prepared for any scenario," Katz added.
Meanwhile, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Sunday issued a joint statement welcoming Hamas's steps toward the ceasefire plan proposed by Trump.
According to the statement, the foreign ministers of the eight countries welcomed "the steps taken by Hamas regarding Trump's proposal to end the war in Gaza, release all hostages, alive or deceased, and the immediate launch of negotiations on implementation mechanisms," it said.
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They further commended Hamas's announcement of "its readiness to hand over the administration of Gaza to a transitional Palestinian administrative committee of independent technocrats," emphasizing the need for the immediate launch of negotiations to agree on mechanisms to implement the proposal and address all of its aspects.
The foreign ministers also welcomed Trump's call on Israel to "immediately stop the bombing and to begin implementation of the exchange agreement," expressing appreciation for his commitment to establishing peace in the region.
The ministers affirmed that these developments represent "a real opportunity to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire and to address the critical humanitarian conditions facing people in the Gaza Strip."
