UPDATE - Egypt confirms hosting new round of indirect Hamas-Israel prisoner swap talks

UPDATES WITH EGYPT’S CONFIRMATION, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Hussien Elkabany and Mohammad Sio

CAIRO / ISTANBUL (AA) - Egypt confirmed Saturday that it will host a new round of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on Sunday to discuss details of a prisoner exchange under US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the talks are part of “ongoing Egyptian efforts, in coordination with mediators, to end the Israeli war in Gaza.”

It added that the indirect consultations will address “the field conditions and details of the exchange process for all Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners, in line with President Trump’s proposal, in the hope of putting an end to the war and the suffering of the Palestinian people, which has continued for two years.”

The ministry noted that the talks will be held “within the framework of efforts to build on the regional and international momentum created by President Trump’s plan to stop the war in Gaza.”

The state-run Al-Qahera News channel earlier said, citing unnamed Egyptian sources, that the Hamas and Israeli delegations will discuss “preparing on-the-ground conditions in Gaza for the prisoner exchange process.”

A senior Egyptian security source confirmed that both Hamas and Israeli delegations are expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday and Monday for the talks.

Israeli Channel 12 also reported that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are set to begin Sunday in Egypt.

The announcement came one day after Hamas said it had delivered its response to Trump’s ceasefire plan, declaring its readiness to release all Israeli captives, both alive and deceased.

Hamas also said it is willing to hand over the Gaza administration to a technocratic Palestinian authority based on national consensus, backed by Arab and Islamic states.

On Friday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he believed Hamas was “ready for lasting peace” and urged Israel to “immediately stop bombing Gaza” in order to secure the release of Israeli captives.

On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled the 20-point plan, including the release of Israeli captives within 72 hours of Israel’s approval, a ceasefire, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Tel Aviv estimates that 48 Israeli captives remain in Gaza, including 20 alive. Israel, meanwhile, holds around 11,100 Palestinian captives, many of whom face torture, hunger, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and most of the infrastructure has been reduced to rubble.