A White House official said President Donald Trump is sending Jared Kushner and senior envoy Steve Witkoff to Egypt on Saturday to push forward ceasefire talks.
Hostage Release Framework Under Discussion
The envoys are set to work out the technical details of a hostage swap after Hamas said on Friday that it agrees with key parts of Trump's 20-point peace plan, which calls for a ceasefire, an Israeli withdrawal, and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, according to a report by The Guardian.
Egypt’s foreign ministry said delegations from Israel and Hamas are scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss implementation.
Netanyahu Sets Timeline Amid Continued Strikes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday he hopes to return all hostages “during the Sukkot holidays” beginning from Monday. He added, “Hamas will be disarmed… either diplomatically via Trump’s plan or militarily by us,” Netanyahu stated.
See Also: Trump Has The Longest Shutdown — But Another President Racked Up More Days
At least 17 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed in a Gaza City strike on Saturday evening, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
Dozens more lost their lives in separate attacks near a bakery and residential neighborhoods.
Trump Sets Deadline For Agreement
Trump posted on Truth Social that he “will not tolerate delay” from Hamas, warning that “all bets will be off” if progress is not made quickly. He told Axios, “we are very close” to finalizing an agreement.
The U.S. President also credited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for pressing Hamas toward a deal.
Trump confirmed that Israel has agreed to an “initial withdrawal line” shared with Hamas, saying a ceasefire will take effect once Hamas accepts, which will then trigger the prisoner exchange.
Casualty Figures
According to the Gaza health authority reports, at least 67,074 Palestinians have been killed and 170,000 injured since the conflict escalated, while Israel says its actions are in self-defense.
Read Next:
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
