Netanyahu hopes to bring Gaza hostages home within days as negotiators head to Cairo
US President Donald Trump warned he would “not tolerate delay” from Hamas.
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday (Oct 4) he hoped to bring home the hostages held by Hamas within days, as negotiators headed to Cairo for talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war in Gaza.
US President Donald Trump warned he would “not tolerate delay” from the Palestinian militant group after it responded positively to his roadmap for freeing captives and administering post-war Gaza.
While Trump called on Israel to halt its bombardment following Hamas’s statement, the strikes continued on Saturday, with at least 57 people killed since dawn, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency.
TRUMP PUSHES FOR SPEEDY DEAL
Netanyahu credited “military and diplomatic pressure” with compelling Hamas to agree to release the hostages.
“I hope that in the coming days we will be able to bring back all our hostages ... during the Sukkot holidays,” he said, referring to the Jewish festival that begins on Monday.
He said Israeli negotiators were travelling to Egypt “to finalise the technical details”, with Cairo confirming it would host a Hamas delegation for talks on “ground conditions and details of the exchange of all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners” under Trump’s proposal.
The White House said Trump had dispatched two envoys – his son-in-law Jared Kushner and top Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff – to Egypt to participate in the discussions.
Hamas announced on Friday night “its approval for the release of all hostages – living and remains – according to the exchange formula included in President Trump’s proposal.”
Trump hailed the move as a sign the group was “ready for a lasting PEACE” and urged Israel to “move quickly or all bets will be off”.
Netanyahu reiterated that “Hamas will be disarmed — either diplomatically via Trump’s plan or militarily by us.”
Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, urging both sides to ensure a deal is reached.
Later on Saturday, Trump said Israel had agreed to an “initial withdrawal line” for Gaza, which has also been shared with Hamas. He added that “when Hamas confirms,” a ceasefire would take effect “immediately,” triggering a prisoner exchange and the start of Israel’s phased withdrawal from the enclave.
STRIKES CONTINUE IN GAZA
Despite Trump’s call for restraint, Israeli bombardment continued across Gaza.
“The death toll from the ongoing Israeli bombardment since dawn today stands at 57, including 40 in Gaza City alone,” said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority.
Witnesses said airstrikes, artillery fire and drone attacks persisted around Gaza City, where Israeli forces have maintained heavy operations.
Mahmud al-Ghazi, a resident of the Al-Rimal neighbourhood, said: “Israel has actually escalated its attacks since Trump’s call for a pause. Who will stop Israel now?”
The Israeli military warned residents not to return to Gaza City, calling it “extremely dangerous”. Israeli media reported the army had shifted to a defensive posture, though the military did not confirm this.
POST-WAR PLANS FOR GAZA
A Hamas official said Egypt would host a conference of Palestinian factions to discuss Gaza’s post-war future.
Under Trump’s proposal, Hamas and other factions “will not have any role in the governance of Gaza.” The plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a phased Israeli withdrawal, Hamas’s disarmament, and the creation of a technocratic transitional authority headed by Trump.
“The best thing is that President Trump himself announced a ceasefire, and Netanyahu will not be able to escape this time,” said Sami Adas, a Gaza City resident living in a tent with his family.
The war began with Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed at least 67,074 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, whose data the UN considers reliable. Their figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicate that more than half of the dead are women and children.
