فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Two envoys of U.S. President Donald Trump are traveling to Egypt on Saturday to finalize discussions on the release of hostages held in Gaza, the White House announced after Hamas expressed readiness to free them.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military stated it would continue operations in the Palestinian territory despite calls from Trump and hostage families to immediately cease bombings.
According to a White House official, envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are set to arrive in Egypt on Saturday to finalize the arrangements for the hostages’ release as part of the U.S. president’s plan announced at the end of September to end the war in Gaza.
Egyptian intelligence-linked outlet Al-Qahera News reported that Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas will hold indirect talks in Cairo on Sunday and Monday “to discuss arrangements on the ground for the exchange of all hostages and prisoners,” referring to Palestinians detained by Israel who are to be freed in return.
Egypt is one of the mediating countries trying to end the war in Gaza, which erupted following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Trump warned Hamas on Saturday that he “will not tolerate any delay” in implementing his plan.
On Friday, Hamas expressed readiness for immediate negotiations aimed at releasing the hostages kidnapped on October 7 and ending the war that has devastated Gaza for nearly two years, within the framework of this plan.
The U.S. president then called on Israel to “immediately stop bombings in Gaza so we can get the hostages out quickly and safely.”
However, at least 31 people were killed Saturday since dawn in Israeli strikes on Palestinian territory, according to Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
He said 26 of the dead were in northern Gaza City, where Israeli forces launched a major offensive on September 16, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.
“The intensity of Israeli bombings on Gaza remains unchanged, with air strikes, artillery, and drone fire,” said Mohammed Al-Moughayyir of the Civil Defense, operating under Hamas authority.
The Israeli army said it was still conducting operations in Gaza City, urging residents to stay away.
Controlling about 75% of the Gaza Strip, the army aims to take over Gaza City, which it regards as Hamas’s major stronghold.
In Israel, the Hostage Families Forum welcomed the U.S. demand for an immediate end to the war.
Residents in Gaza also praised the U.S. president’s call as “the only one able to force Israel to comply and end the war,” said Sami Adas, a man in his forties living in a tent with his family in western Gaza.
The U.S. plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages within 72 hours, phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, disarmament of Hamas, and exile of its fighters. It also includes establishing a transitional technocratic authority overseen by Trump and deploying an international force, excluding any role for Hamas in Gaza’s governance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supports the Trump plan announced at the end of September but later affirmed his army would remain in most of the Palestinian territory.
In its Friday statement, Hamas said it was ready to release all living hostages and return the bodies of deceased hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and to hold immediate talks on the “details” of releases.
However, Hamas did not mention disarmament and stressed it would participate in talks about the territory’s future.
On Saturday, a Hamas leader said the movement was ready to start negotiations to resolve “all issues.”
The hostages were taken during Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and refuses any role for the group in post-war governance.
The October 7 attack killed 1,219 Israelis, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. Among the 251 people kidnapped that day, 47 remain hostages in Gaza, including 25 who have died according to the army.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 67,074 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from Hamas’s health ministry, considered reliable by the United Nations.
