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A delegation led by Hamas' Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Egypt on Monday to begin ceasefire negotiations aimed at ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza, the movement said in a statement.
“A delegation headed by Khalil al-Hayya has arrived in Egypt to begin negotiations on a ceasefire, the withdrawal of occupation forces, and a prisoner exchange,” Hamas said. The group did not specify the duration of the visit or the schedule of meetings.
Earlier, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry confirmed it would host Israeli and Hamas delegations on Monday as part of efforts to end the war and broker a prisoner exchange under U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan.
The ministry said the indirect talks would focus on “improving conditions on the ground and exchanging all Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners,” expressing hope that the process would “contribute to ending the war and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
Delegations from Hamas, Israel and the United States were expected to gather in Cairo and the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with Trump urging negotiators to “move fast.”
Both Hamas and Israel have responded positively to Trump’s proposal, which calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, and the freeing of Palestinians in Israeli jails.
The plan also envisions Hamas’s disarmament and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip—a condition Hamas has long rejected.
Hamas’ lead negotiator Hayya, who narrowly survived an Israeli airstrike in Doha last month, was set to meet with mediators from Egypt and Qatar. A Hamas official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the talks aim to “determine the date of a temporary truce” and finalize the first phase of the plan, under which 47 hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
Trump praised “positive discussions with Hamas” and regional partners in a post on his Truth Social platform Sunday, writing, “I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also hailed Trump’s plan, calling it “the right path to lasting peace and stability.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that an Israeli delegation would depart for Egypt on Monday. The White House said Trump dispatched two envoys—his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff—to attend the talks.
Despite the negotiations, AFP footage showed new explosions in Gaza on Monday, with smoke rising over the enclave even after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Israel to halt airstrikes. “You can’t release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop,” Rubio told CBS.
A Hamas-linked civil defense agency said Israeli attacks killed at least 20 people across Gaza on Sunday, including 13 in Gaza City.
Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, warned that if negotiations fail, “the military will return to fighting.”
Hamas seized 251 hostages during its Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel; 47 are still believed to be in Gaza, and Israel says 25 of them are dead. Trump’s plan calls for Israel to release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees captured during the war.
Hamas has insisted on retaining a political role in Gaza, though Trump’s roadmap excludes it from future governance. Under the U.S. plan, Gaza would be administered by a technocratic committee overseen by a transitional authority chaired by Trump himself.
“We hope Trump will pressure Netanyahu and force him to stop the war,” said Ahmad Barbakh, a resident of Gaza’s al-Mawasi area. “We want the prisoner exchange deal to be completed quickly so Israel has no excuse to continue the war.”
The Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed at least 67,139 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose figures the United Nations considers credible.
Trump’s plan, unveiled on Sept. 29, envisions a ceasefire, hostage release within 72 hours, and Hamas’s disarmament. Israel estimates that 48 hostages remain in Gaza, while roughly 11,100 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, many reportedly facing torture, hunger and medical neglect.
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