Cairo. Israeli and Hamas officials launched indirect talks on Monday at an Egyptian resort over a US-drafted peace plan aimed at ending the devastating Gaza war, on the eve of its second anniversary.

Many questions remain about the plan presented last week by US President Donald Trump, including how Hamas would be disarmed --a key Israeli demand-- and what governance structure would follow in Gaza. Trump has said an agreement could lay the groundwork for a broader Middle East peace process.

Despite Trump’s call for Israel to halt its bombing campaign, Israeli warplanes continued to pound Gaza, killing at least 19 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

An Egyptian official said the talks began Monday afternoon at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

The Israeli delegation is led by senior negotiator Ron Dermer, while Hamas has sent Khalil al-Hayyah to head its team.

Hamas said negotiations would initially focus on a ceasefire, including the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are also expected to join the discussions, Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram reported.

The renewed peace push follows indications that Hamas has accepted some elements of the US plan, which Israel also said it supports. Under the proposal, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 believed to be alive, within three days, disarm, and relinquish control of Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the talks should be “confined to a few days at most,” though some Hamas officials warned that locating the bodies of hostages buried under rubble could take longer.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi praised Trump’s mediation efforts.
“A ceasefire, the return of hostages and detainees, the reconstruction of Gaza, and the start of a political process leading to a recognised Palestinian state mean we are on the right path towards lasting peace and stability,” he said in a televised address marking the anniversary of Egypt’s 1973 war with Israel.

El-Sisi also called for preserving the US-brokered “peace system” that has underpinned regional stability since the 1970s.

US presses for end to Israeli bombing
Washington has said that Israeli airstrikes must stop to facilitate the release of hostages. Israel maintains it is largely complying with Trump’s directive, saying current strikes are defensive and aimed at protecting troops.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that 19 bodies, including two aid-seekers, were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, with 96 others wounded. The latest deaths bring Gaza’s toll to 67,160 since Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack triggered the war, with nearly 170,000 wounded, the ministry said.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but says more than half of those killed were women and children. The UN and independent analysts consider its figures the most reliable wartime estimates.

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed about 1,200, mostly civilians, in the 7 October attack. Most of the hostages have since been released during previous ceasefires and deals.

Meanwhile, families of remaining Israeli hostages petitioned the Nobel Committee to award Trump the Peace Prize for what they described as his “unprecedented contributions to global peace.”

“President Trump’s comprehensive plan to release all remaining hostages and finally end this terrible war is now on the table,” the families wrote. “For the first time in months, we are hopeful our nightmare will end.”

At a memorial service for Israelis killed at the Nir Oz kibbutz on 7 October, Daniel Lifshitz, grandson of slain hostage Oded and released hostage Yocheved Lifshitz, urged negotiators to prioritize freeing captives.
“Israel will make painful concessions by releasing terrorists who murdered our friends and families,” he said. “But we cherish life, and in Trump we trust to make it happen; we hope for good news within 24 to 36 hours.”

‘Living in fear, war and displacement’
In Gaza, families of children born on the day the war began hoped to mark their second birthdays with laughter, not explosions.

Two years on, many mothers say their hopes for normal lives have faded amid repeated displacements, fear, and a collapse of health services.

Rola Saqer, whose daughter Masa was born as the war erupted, said: “I wanted her to be strong, but she is weak. She’s malnourished—her weight hasn’t changed in five months.”

The family now lives in a tent at the Nuseirat refugee camp, their belongings limited to a carpet, a chair, and some clothes.

Amal al-Taweel, who conceived her son Ali after three years of trying, said she had imagined a very different life.
“He couldn’t experience what a safe family life feels like,” she said. “We live without sanitation, food, or even toys.”

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