Israel and Hamas wrap up first round of talks on Trump’s peace plan

Israeli and Hamas officials have wrapped up the first round of talks at an Egyptian resort on a US-drafted peace plan to end the ruinous war in Gaza on the eve of its second anniversary.

The talks, which went on for several hours, unfolded amid many questions about the plan presented by US President Donald Trump last week, including the disarmament of the militant group — a key Israeli demand — and the future governance of Gaza.

Mr Trump has indicated that an agreement on Gaza could pave the way for a Middle East peace process that could reshape the region.

Despite Trump ordering Israel to stop the bombing, Israeli forces continued to pound Gaza with airstrikes, killing at least 19 people in the last 24 hours, the territory’s Health Ministry said.

An Egyptian official with knowledge of the talks said the parties wrapped up Monday’s round of negotiations at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, and the discussions were set to resume on Tuesday afternoon.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said the parties have agreed on most of the first-phase terms, which include the release of hostages and establishing a ceasefire.

The Israelis are led by top negotiator Ron Dermer, while Khalil al-Hayyah leads the Hamas delegation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk would be present for Israel.

Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera News television station reported that the talks began with a meeting between Arab mediators and the Hamas delegation.

Mediators were to meet later with the Israeli delegation, the station said.

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were also expected to join the talks, local Egyptian media said.

Hamas said negotiations will focus on the first stage of a ceasefire, including the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces as well as the release of hostages held by the militants in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention.

This latest push for peace comes after Hamas accepted some elements of the US plan that Israel also said it supported.

Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — about 20 of whom are believed to be alive — within three days. It would give up power and disarm.

The talks in Egypt are expected to move quickly.

Mr Netanyahu said they would be “confined to a few days maximum,” though some Hamas officials have warned that more time may be needed to locate bodies of hostages buried under rubble.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi hailed Mr Trump’s efforts, underscoring the importance of preserving the US-crafted “peace system” in the Middle East since the 1970s, which he said “served as a strategic framework for regional stability”.

Mr El-Sisi spoke in a televised address commemorating the anniversary of the start of the 1973 war with Israel that led to Egypt reclaiming the Sinai Peninsula, where Sharm el-Sheikh is located.

The US has said Israel’s heavy bombardment of Gaza would need to stop for hostages to be released.

Israel says it is largely heeding Mr Trump’s call.

The Israeli military said it is mostly carrying out defensive strikes to protect troops, though dozens of Palestinians have been killed since the military’s statement on Saturday night.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Monday that the bodies of 19 people, including two aid-seekers killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire, had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours and another 96 were wounded.

The deaths brought the Palestinian toll to 67,160 since the Hamas attack on October 7 2023 triggered the war, with nearly 170,000 wounded, the ministry said.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says more than half of the deaths were women and children.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.