Delegations from Hamas and Israel began indirect negotiations in Cairo on Monday, aiming to end the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza.
The talks are being held under US President Donald Trump’s proposed Gaza peace plan, with Trump saying he believes Hamas is now ready to make compromises toward a deal.
According to Egypt’s state-linked channel Al-Qahera News, the first round of discussions concluded “in a positive atmosphere” and will resume on Tuesday.
The talks, held under tight security, are taking place through mediators shuttling between the two sides — just weeks after Israel attempted to assassinate Hamas’s chief negotiators in Qatar.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators are reportedly working to establish a framework for a hostage-prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel. The discussions also aim to “prepare ground conditions” for the release of detainees and prisoners, according to Al-Qahera News.
President Trump told reporters at the White House that he was “pretty sure” a peace deal could be reached.
“I think Hamas has been agreeing to things that are very important,” Trump said. “I think we’re going to have a deal.”
Hamas’s lead negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya — who survived last month’s Israeli strike on the group’s leadership in Doha — met with Egyptian intelligence officials ahead of the talks, an Egyptian security source confirmed.
The negotiations, coinciding with the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, are expected to continue for several days. A Palestinian official close to Hamas said the discussions will be “difficult and complex,” given Israel’s intention to continue its military campaign in Gaza.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to arrive in Egypt to join mediation efforts. Trump has urged negotiators to “move fast” to end the war, even as Israeli airstrikes continued Monday, killing at least seven Palestinians, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.
Hostage Exchange and Truce Proposals
Both sides have expressed initial approval of Trump’s proposal, though major obstacles remain. The plan calls for Hamas’s disarmament — a demand the group is unlikely to accept — and a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has vowed to maintain a military presence “deep inside” the enclave until all hostages are freed.
According to a Palestinian source, the initial phase of the exchange — involving the release of 47 Israeli hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners — will “require several days,” depending on progress in Israeli withdrawals and a suspension of air operations.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has said it is prepared to assist with the transfer of hostages and detainees and facilitate humanitarian access across Gaza, where the United Nations has already declared a famine.
“The war has destroyed everything I built throughout my life,” said Mohammed Abu Sultan, 49, a displaced resident now sheltering in Nuseirat camp. “We have been running from death for two years.”
Ceasefire and Next Steps
Hamas has reportedly agreed to halt its military operations if Israel ceases bombardments and withdraws from Gaza City. However, Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned that Israel would “return to fighting” if the negotiations collapse.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack killed 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Since then, Israel’s retaliatory campaign has left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory — figures the UN considers credible.
Under Trump’s proposed roadmap, Hamas and other militant factions would be excluded from Gaza’s future governance. Instead, a technocratic administration would operate under a transitional authority overseen directly by Trump himself.
“We hope Trump will pressure Netanyahu to stop the war,” said Ahmad Barbakh, a resident of Al-Mawasi. “We want the prisoner exchange deal completed quickly so Israel has no excuse to continue fighting.”
