US President Donald Trump said on Sunday talks with Hamas to end Israel's war in Gaza and release hostages held by the Palestinian group were advancing rapidly.
"These talks have been very successful, and proceeding rapidly. The technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details. I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST," Trump said in a social media post.
Hamas officials arrived in Egypt on Sunday ahead of talks with Israel that the US 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 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," US 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.
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 US 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.
The plan has stirred hopes for peace among Palestinians, but there was no let-up of Israeli attacks on Gaza on Sunday. Planes and tanks pounded areas across the enclave, killing at least 19 people, local health authorities said.
Israel began attacking Gaza after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's campaign, which has killed more than 67,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities, has led to its international isolation.
