Delegations Head to Cairo for Trump-Brokered Gaza Deal; Netanyahu Warns: ‘First Bring the Hostages’
Israeli and Hamas delegations are preparing to begin indirect negotiations in Egypt early this week aimed at advancing President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal and securing the release of remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
Egypt’s state-linked Al-Qahera News reported that both sides will hold separate meetings in Cairo on Sunday and Monday “to discuss arranging the ground conditions for the exchange of all detainees and prisoners, in accordance with Trump’s proposal.” A Hamas delegation is expected to arrive in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, joined by Qatari mediators.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Trump’s senior advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are traveling to Egypt to “finish this.” He told Channel 12 that they “aren’t coming to play games” and “won’t reopen any clause relating to the hostages.” Netanyahu added, “First bring the hostages, then the rest will come. I believe there is a good chance we will reach this.”
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Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and longtime Middle East adviser, and Witkoff, the administration’s special envoy to the region, are expected to oversee final details of the US peace plan. President Trump posted on Truth Social that Israel had “temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the hostage release and peace deal a chance to be completed.” He urged Hamas to “move quickly, or else all bets will be off,” warning he would “not tolerate delay or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again.”
Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity–Blue and White party, warned against allowing “petty politics” to derail the American initiative. “We have a long and complex road ahead until all our hostages are returned and the Hamas regime is replaced,” he said on X.
Netanyahu met with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Saturday night. Both ministers were highly critical of the Trump ceasefire and hostage release deal, with Smotrich opposed to the IDF halting operations during negotiations and Ben-Gvir threatening to leave the government if Hamas remains intact after the hostages are released. Netanyahu is expected to release a statement later Saturday evening following the meeting.
Arab mediators told The Wall Street Journal that Hamas remains divided over Trump’s 20-point plan, particularly regarding disarmament and the timing of hostage releases. Political leaders such as Khalil al-Hayya reportedly back the deal, while Gaza-based commanders oppose it. Some Hamas figures have proposed surrendering rockets and heavy weapons to Egypt and the United Nations while keeping small arms “for defense.”
Hamas’ fractured leadership and dwindling control complicate the process, with reports that local units now act independently and that fighters have shifted allegiance to other terror factions. Former Israeli defense official Amir Avivi said, “Maybe it’s the first time throughout the war that Hamas is starting to understand that they will be eradicated.”
