Cairo, October 8: Delegations from Hamas and Israel began indirect talks in Egypt on Monday aimed at ending nearly two years of war in Gaza, as U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed the Palestinian militant group was ready to compromise under his proposed peace plan.
The negotiations, held behind closed doors in Cairo under tight security, opened on the eve of the second anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the conflict. Egyptian and Qatari mediators are shuttling between the two sides, which are not meeting face-to-face.
Al-Qahera News, a channel linked to Egyptian intelligence, said the first round ended “amid a positive atmosphere” and would resume on Tuesday. Discussions focused on groundwork for a possible exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, the report said.
Trump told reporters at the White House he was “pretty sure” a deal could be reached. “I think Hamas has been agreeing to things that are very important… I think we’re going to have a deal,” he said.
An Egyptian security source said Hamas’s lead negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya — who survived an Israeli strike in Doha last month — met Egyptian intelligence officials ahead of the talks.
A Palestinian source close to Hamas’s leadership said the discussions “may last for several days” and warned they would be “difficult and complex” given Israel’s continued military operations. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to arrive in Egypt to join the mediation effort.
Despite the talks, Israeli air strikes continued across Gaza on Monday. At least seven Palestinians were killed, said Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence agency. AFP footage showed explosions and smoke rising over the territory’s skyline. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Israel must halt its bombing campaign as part of efforts to secure a broader ceasefire and humanitarian access.
