Hamas Readies for Gaza Talks as US Hopes to Halt War, Free Hostages
10/6/2025 8:20:00 AM
Hamas officials arrived in Egypt on Sunday ahead of talks with Israel that the U.S. hopes will lead to a halt in fighting and the freeing of hostages in Gaza, with Washington's top diplomat saying the next days are critical.
Israeli negotiators led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer were to travel to Egypt on Monday for negotiations in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh about the release of hostages, part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the nearly two-year Gaza war.
"We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday about the release of 48 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are alive.
Trump said later on Sunday negotiations were advancing rapidly. "I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST," he said in a social media post.
The first phase deals with the release of hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
A Hamas delegation, led by the group's exiled Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, landed in Egypt late Sunday to join representatives of the U.S. and Qatar for talks over the implementation of the most advanced effort yet to halt the conflict.
It was the first visit by Hayya to Egypt since he survived an Israeli strike in Doha, the Qatari capital, last month.
Trump has promoted a 20-point plan aimed at ending the fighting in Gaza, securing the release of remaining hostages, and defining the territory's future. Israel and Hamas have agreed to parts of the plan.
Hamas on Friday accepted the hostage release and several other elements but sidestepped contentious points, including calls for its disarmament — which it has long rejected.
Trump welcomed Hamas' response, saying he believed Hamas had shown it was "ready for a lasting PEACE." He told Israel to stop bombing Gaza immediately, but its attacks on the enclave have continued.
An official briefed on the talks in Egypt said negotiators would focus on hammering out a comprehensive deal before a ceasefire can be implemented.
"This differs from earlier rounds of negotiations which followed a phased approach, where the first phase was agreed and then required more negotiations to reach subsequent phases in the ceasefire," the official told Reuters.
"These subsequent rounds of negotiations is where things broke down previously and there is a conscious effort among mediators to avoid that approach this time around."
Rubio told ABC's "This Week" that a timeline for finalising an agreement to release the hostages was uncertain but that talks "cannot take weeks or even multiple days. We want to see this happen very fast."
Israeli negotiators led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer were to travel to Egypt on Monday for negotiations in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh about the release of hostages, part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the nearly two-year Gaza war.
"We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday about the release of 48 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are alive.
Trump said later on Sunday negotiations were advancing rapidly. "I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST," he said in a social media post.
The first phase deals with the release of hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
A Hamas delegation, led by the group's exiled Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, landed in Egypt late Sunday to join representatives of the U.S. and Qatar for talks over the implementation of the most advanced effort yet to halt the conflict.
It was the first visit by Hayya to Egypt since he survived an Israeli strike in Doha, the Qatari capital, last month.
Trump has promoted a 20-point plan aimed at ending the fighting in Gaza, securing the release of remaining hostages, and defining the territory's future. Israel and Hamas have agreed to parts of the plan.
Hamas on Friday accepted the hostage release and several other elements but sidestepped contentious points, including calls for its disarmament — which it has long rejected.
Trump welcomed Hamas' response, saying he believed Hamas had shown it was "ready for a lasting PEACE." He told Israel to stop bombing Gaza immediately, but its attacks on the enclave have continued.
An official briefed on the talks in Egypt said negotiators would focus on hammering out a comprehensive deal before a ceasefire can be implemented.
"This differs from earlier rounds of negotiations which followed a phased approach, where the first phase was agreed and then required more negotiations to reach subsequent phases in the ceasefire," the official told Reuters.
"These subsequent rounds of negotiations is where things broke down previously and there is a conscious effort among mediators to avoid that approach this time around."
Rubio told ABC's "This Week" that a timeline for finalising an agreement to release the hostages was uncertain but that talks "cannot take weeks or even multiple days. We want to see this happen very fast."