Hopes Rise as Israel, Hamas, Schedule Talks for Return of All Hostages in Gaza

Hopes are rising for the return of all the Israeli hostages in Gaza following Hamas’ partial agreement to President Trump’s Middle East peace plan and a series of rapid-fire developments leading toward new negotiations in Egypt this weekend.Hamas announced late Friday that it had agreed to the release of all the hostages, living and dead, and the formation of a technocratic Palestinian body to rule Gaza. But it remained silent or demanded further negotiations on most other elements of the 20-point plan, including requirements that it disarm and play no rule in the future governance of the territory.Nevertheless, the statement was welcomed by world leaders from Paris to Riyadh, by the hostage families and by President Trump himself, who described it in a Friday night address as a “positive step” and declared that Israel “must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly!”Within hours, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the military was “preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of the Trump plan for the release of all the hostages.” The IDF was ordered to halt its current Gaza City offensive and switch to solely defensive maneuvers, according to the Times of Israel.An Israeli official has told the Associated Press that Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike. The official, who was not authorized to speak to the media on the record, said no forces have been removed from the strip.ABC News quoted two unnamed Israeli sources saying Mr. Netanyahu has scheduled a security cabinet meeting on Saturday night to discuss – among other things – a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released and options for Israel Defense Forces Gaza withdrawal maps.And the Times of Israel, quoting Israel’s Channel 12 news, said indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on details of the release were set to begin on Sunday or Monday in Egypt, most likely at the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.The report said American envoy Steve Witkoff is on his way to Egypt, and that Israel’s negotiating team, which has been told to make preparations to depart, is to be headed by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.If the talks proceed smoothly, the hostages could be released “within a few days,” a senior Israeli official told Channel 12. The report said Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner might also participate.The Wall Street Journal said Saturday it had confirmed with American and Arab officials that both Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner will take part in the talks.In a Truth Social post Saturday, Mr. Trump thanked Israel for pausing its bombing campaign in Gaza but said Hamas must “move quickly, or else all bets will be off.”“I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again,” he wrote. “Let’s get this done, FAST. Everyone will be treated fairly!”Even before Hamas’ Friday announcement, hopes were soaring among the families of the hostages in response to Mr. Trump’s peace plan, which was made public on Tuesday.“Finally, we have a framework that includes the release of all the hostages and an end to the war,” Ilan Dalal, father of hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, told the Jerusalem Post. He said the plan “gives us tremendous hope for the return of our loved ones.”Bring Them Home Now, an umbrella group representing the families of the hostages, posted a call on X Saturday urging “the people of Israel to stand with us this evening at Hostages Square to mark two years since October 7.”“We are in decisive days for a deal – days that will determine when the living hostages return for rehabilitiation and the deceased return for a proper burial,” the post said. There are believed to be 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, of whom 20 are thought to still be alive.An obstacle to previous hostage release plans has been the understanding that some of them are in the hands of Islamic Jihad, a separate Iran-backed terrorist group not fully under Hamas’ control.However a statement from that group reported by Reuters said Hamas’ Friday statement “represents the position of the Palestinian resistance factions, and the Islamic Jihad participated responsibly in the consultations that led to this decision.”The week’s developments also brought a sense of relief to the residents of the territory.“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive, it saves the people, and thank God that they [Hamas] agreed. This is enough, good people. We are tired, I swear to God, we are tired, tired,” a 32-year-old Palestinian, Saoud Qarneyta, told Reuters.Despite the prospects for a hostage release, many in Israel remained skeptical that a complete end to the war – which reaches its two-year mark on Tuesday – is at hand.Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general and chairman of Israel’s Defense and Security Forum, told the Associated Press that Israel can afford to stop firing for a few days in Gaza so the hostages can be released but it will resume its offensive if Hamas doesn’t lay down its arms.Others said that while Hamas suggests a willingness to negotiate, its position fundamentally remains unchanged.This “yes, but” rhetoric “simply repackages old demands in softer language,” said Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.He said the gap between appearance and action is as wide as ever and the rhetorical shift serves more as a smokescreen than a signal of true movement toward resolution.

Hopes Rise as Israel, Hamas, Schedule Talks for Return of All Hostages in Gaza

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