Israeli PM hopes to bring all hostages home within days as Egypt to host talks over US ceasefire proposal

Cairo, Oct 5 (IANS) Egypt will host Israeli and Hamas delegations on Monday to discuss "field conditions and details" for the exchange of "all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners" under the recent US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

Egypt hopes the discussions will help "end the war and the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people, which has continued for two consecutive years," the ministry said in a statement.

The anticipated meetings are part of Egypt's ongoing efforts, in coordination with other mediators, "aimed at ending the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip," it said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday voiced hope that all Israeli hostages held in Gaza could be released within days, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We are on the verge of a significant achievement," Netanyahu said in a live video statement. "It's not final yet, but I hope that during the upcoming Sukkot holiday, we will be able to secure the release of all the hostages, both living and deceased, while maintaining our military presence deep inside the Gaza Strip." Sukkot, a week-long Jewish holiday, begins on Monday evening.

However, Netanyahu said Israel intends to keep negotiations limited to just a few days, adding that in the US proposal's second phase, "Hamas will be disarmed, and the Gaza Strip will be demilitarised, whether through military action or diplomatic means."

Far-right ministers in Netanyahu's political-security cabinet and coalition have harshly criticised Netanyahu and the emerging agreement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Netanyahu's decision "a serious mistake and a sure recipe for Hamas stalling for time and the growing erosion of the Israeli position."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said if Hamas continues to exist after all the hostages are released, his faction will not be part of the government.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu summoned the two ministers for an urgent meeting to convince them to support the agreement.

The US proposal, which Washington said on Monday that Israel had agreed to, combines a ceasefire-for-hostages deal, phased Israeli withdrawal, and international oversight on Gaza's reconstruction and governance after the end of the conflict.

Hamas announced Friday that it had accepted the proposal in principle and was ready to open mediated talks, a response broadly welcomed by the international community, which urged both sides to seize the chance to end the war and ease civilian suffering.

On Saturday, two US envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, headed to Egypt to discuss details of the proposal, the White House said.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces scaled back the offensive in Gaza on Saturday after the US asked Israel to halt attacks in response to Hamas's announcement that it was ready to free hostages.

According to Palestinian medical sources, the Israeli Air Force launched a series of airstrikes Saturday morning targeting various areas of Gaza City, resulting in deaths and injuries. The health authorities said in a press statement that 66 were dead and 265 wounded at Gaza hospitals over the past 24 hours.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 67,074 Palestinians and injured 169,430 others since October 7, 2023, while famine and malnutrition have claimed 459 lives in the enclave, including 154 children, according to an update by Gaza-based health authorities on Saturday.

--IANS

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