Egypt will host delegations from Israel and Hamas on Monday to discuss “field conditions and details” of a potential exchange involving all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners, as part of the latest U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
Cairo hopes the talks will help “end the war and the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people, which has continued for two consecutive years,” the ministry added, noting that the meetings are part of Egypt’s broader mediation efforts with other international partners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed optimism on Saturday that all hostages held in Gaza could be freed within days. “We are on the verge of a significant achievement,” he said in a live address. “It’s not final yet, but I hope that during the upcoming Sukkot holiday we will be able to secure the release of all hostages, both living and deceased, while maintaining our military presence deep inside Gaza.”
Sukkot, a week-long Jewish holiday, begins Monday evening. Netanyahu added that Israel would limit the negotiations to just a few days, stressing that under the second phase of the U.S. plan, Hamas would be disarmed and Gaza demilitarised “through military action or diplomatic means.”
His remarks drew sharp criticism from far-right ministers in his coalition. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the decision “a grave mistake” that would allow Hamas to “stall for time,” while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir warned that his faction would leave the government if Hamas remained intact after the hostages’ release.
Hamas announced on Friday that it had accepted the 20-point proposal in principle and was ready for mediated negotiations. The international community welcomed the move and urged both sides to take this opportunity to end the fighting and alleviate civilian suffering.
The 20-point plan envisions a ceasefire-for-hostages arrangement, a phased Israeli withdrawal, and a demilitarised Gaza governed under international oversight. Hamas would be excluded from governance. Under the proposed deal, Israel would halt military operations and withdraw to agreed lines, while Hamas would have 72 hours to release all hostages—alive and deceased—once Israel accepts the plan. In return, Israel would release 250 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained after 7 October 2023. Disarmed Hamas members pledging peaceful coexistence would receive amnesty and could relocate safely to countries willing to accept them.
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took t...
Saudi Arabia has restored its vital East-West oil pipeline to near-full capacity, but escalating Houthi attacks on energy facilities, airports and ...
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 9 October 2026 with five key developments from the CIS summit in Turkmenistan....
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
The Saudi-led coalition says it has carried out a series of military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen after attacks on two Saudi airports left three people dead and dozens injured.
Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian states have signed two key documents at the 8th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in Turkmenbashi, formalising a broader framework for regional cooperation in transport, trade, energy, digitalisation and security.
It started with classrooms. Too many students, not enough teachers, deteriorating buildings and growing anxiety over what comes after high school. But within weeks, a movement that began outside French lycées had spread across the country.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
The Pentagon says it will livestream the execution of former U.S. Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, who was sentenced to death for killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. It would be the first publicly livestreamed execution in U.S. history.
U.S. federal immigration agents shot and wounded a man in a car with a five-year-old boy inside in New York City’s Bronx neighbourhood on Thursday, city officials, police and witnesses say.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sharply criticised the United States following a series of Russian attacks that killed more than 70 people over two days, arguing that Washington is not doing enough to help Kyiv counter Moscow's continued assault.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
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