Delegations from Hamas, Israel, and the US are meeting in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan to end the Gaza war. The talks aim to secure a hostage-prisoner exchange and Israeli withdrawal, though major disagreements and ongoing strikes persist.
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi dismissed the reports on October 5, according to Russia's TASS news agency. In a statement shared on its official Telegram channel, Hamas said Mardawi "completely rejects all false claims of progress in ceasefire talks or any discussion of disarmament."
According to CNN,Trump was responding to questions on his 20-point ceasefire plan when he made the remark. When asked directly over text message what would happen if Hamas insisted on staying in power, Trump said, "Complete Obliteration!"
During his gaggle with reporters before departing the White House, when Trump was asked about the Gaza plan, if there were going to be any changes, he said that the nitty grittys will be fixed in a couple of days.
Trump has dispatched his son-in-law Jared Kushner and top Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff to Cairo to lead US efforts, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that a delegation from Israel is also heading to Egypt "to finalise technical details."
The strikes came after United States President Donald Trump urged Israel to "immediately stop bombing" Gaza after Hamas signalled to accept his Gaza peace plan.
The peace plan, unveiled by the White House on Monday following a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, aims to bring an end to the two-year-old Gaza conflict.
In a statement, Netanyahu's office said, "We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team in order to bring the war to an end in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel, which are consistent with President Trump's vision."
Trump mentioned that the issue is not about peace in Gaza alone but in the whole Middle East region. He further said that Israel should stop its attacks in Gaza so that it can quickly release its hostages.
Hamas on Friday (local time) agreed to release all Israeli hostages, whether dead or alive, in response to the 20-point Gaza peace plan introduced by US President Donald Trump earlier this week.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the United States-led Gaza peace proposal and gave a call for immediate action towards peace, Secy General's Spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Zamir, during a meeting, says that the ongoing offensive in Gaza City "leads to new opportunities and brings us closer to achieving the goals of the war."