Summary
The time in Gaza City is 7.30pm. Here is a round-up of the day’s news so far:
Israelis have gathered across the country to mark the second anniversary of the Hamas-led 7 October attack, in which about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage during an unprecedented assault on southern Israel. Unofficial commemorations are being held in the small kibbutzim of southern Israel whose members were killed or kidnapped, and a large rally will be held in Tel Aviv to call for the release of the remaining hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Tuesday about progress toward a Gaza deal and said a US team just left to take part in the negotiations. Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said “I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East” beyond just Gaza.
A US delegation led by presidential envoy Steve Witkoff will join talks aimed at a truce in Gaza and hostage and prisoner exchange on Wednesday, Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty has said. In a joint press conference with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, Abdelatty said they “had a long conversation with Steve Witkoff, who is expected in Egypt in the coming hours”.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a globally recognised organisation that classifies the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition, declared in August that an “entirely man-made” famine was taking place in Gaza City and its surrounding area. “If a ceasefire is not implemented to allow humanitarian aid to reach everyone in the Gaza Strip, and if essential food supplies and basic health, nutrition and [sanitation and water] services are not restored immediately, avoidable deaths will increase exponentially,” the IPC report said.
Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum has said that the Palestinian militant group’s delegation now in talks in Egypt on Donald Trump’s plan is seeking to overcome all obstacles to achieving a deal to end the war. “The (Hamas) movement’s delegation participating in the current negotiations in Egypt is working to overcome all obstacles to reaching an agreement that meets the aspirations of our people in Gaza,” Barhoum said in a televised statement.
Israel has repeatedly denied permission to transfer incubators from an evacuated hospital in North Gaza, a UN children’s agency official said on Tuesday, adding to strain on overcrowded hospitals further south where newborn babies are now sharing oxygen masks. Two years of war between Israel and Hamas has increased stress and malnourishment among pregnant mothers, leading to a rise in premature and underweight babies who the World Health Organization says now account for a fifth of all Gaza newborns.
Japan’s foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya warned Israel that any action to destroy the foundation of a two-state solution will lead Tokyo to consider sanctions against Israel or the recognition of Palestinian statehood. Marking the anniversary of the 7 October attacks, Iwaya said it is essential to stop Israel’s one-sided actions, achieve a sustainable ceasefire and an immediate release of all hostages and support humanitarian relief to Gaza.
Pope Leo’s debut overseas trip will be to Turkey and Lebanon, where he is expected to make appeals for peace across the Middle East, the Vatican has announced. Leo, who was elected pontiff in May after the death of Pope Francis, will visit Turkey between 27 and 30 November and Lebanon from 30 November until 2 December.
Italy will submit a proposal for a worldwide ceasefire to the United Nations ahead of next year’s Milano-Cortina winter Olympics, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday. As a concept, a global truce during the Olympics dates to the ancient games in Greece where warring factions agreed to put down their arms for the duration of the event, so that athletes could safely travel to and from ancient Olympia.
Trump says he is optimistic about a Gaza deal
President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Tuesday about progress toward a Gaza deal and said a US team just left to take part in the negotiations.
Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said “I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East” beyond just Gaza.
Israelis across their country marked the second anniversary of the 7 October attack when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages.
People gathered at the Nova music festival memorial site, protested outside the residence of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Jerusalem and gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.
Japan’s foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya warned Israel that any action to destroy the foundation of a two-state solution will lead Tokyo to consider sanctions against Israel or the recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Marking the anniversary of the 7 October attacks, Iwaya said it is essential to stop Israel’s one-sided actions, achieve a sustainable ceasefire and an immediate release of all hostages and support humanitarian relief to Gaza.
He said all parties should act in accordance with a plan proposed by US president Donald Trump.
“In case of a development that completely destroys the foundation of the two-state solution, Japan will consider all options including sanctions against Israel or a recognition of Palestinian state,” Iwaya said.
Smoke rises following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, earlier today.
Israel has repeatedly denied permission to transfer incubators from an evacuated hospital in North Gaza, a UN children’s agency official said on Tuesday, adding to strain on overcrowded hospitals further south where newborn babies are now sharing oxygen masks.
Two years of war between Israel and Hamas has increased stress and malnourishment among pregnant mothers, leading to a rise in premature and underweight babies who the World Health Organization says now account for a fifth of all Gaza newborns.
Over the past month an Israeli assault on Gaza City in northern Gaza has shut hospitals in that area, worsening overcrowding in hospitals that remain open in the south.
James Elder, Unicef spokesperson, described mothers and babies lining the corridor floors of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, and said that premature babies were being forced to share oxygen masks and beds. Meanwhile, vital equipment is stranded in hospitals that have been shut in the north.
“We’ve been trying to recover incubators from a hospital that was evacuated in the north, and we’ve had four missions denied simply to get those incubators,” he told Reuters by video link from Gaza, referring to supplies now stuck at the damaged Al-Rantissi Children’s Hospital in Gaza City.
My colleagues Jason Burke, Paul Scruton and Heidi Wilson have detailed how Israel’s war has devastated Gaza in this powerful analysis.
Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and said diplomatic initiatives need to gain momentum to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Ukraine-Russia war, Erdogan’s office said.
The statement cited Erdogan as saying Turkey will continue to work for peace.
It said bilateral relations and regional and global issues, including Turkey’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, were also discussed on the call.
European leaders mark second anniversary of 7 October attack on Israel
- Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson called the Hamas-led 7 October attack “the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust”, in a video address posted this morning.
“There is no place for antisemitism in Sweden,” he said. “Jews in Sweden should be able to proudly wear the Star of David, visit the synagogue, and send their children to Jewish schools.”
- Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter wrote on X: “It is high time to end the violence. Hamas must release all hostages. The despair and immense pain must come to an end. Peace is the only path forward.
- French President Emmanuel Macron called for unity against antisemitism, saying “Such an abomination must never happen again”.
Two years after the unspeakable horror of Hamas terrorism, the pain remains deep. We do not forget. We stand in solidarity with all the victims, including 51 of our fellow citizens. We also think of the 48 hostages still held by Hamas. We are working tirelessly for their release.
- Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, wrote in a post on X that today marks two years since the “horrific” Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
He called for the immediate release of hostages and on Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, “to stop the genocide of the Palestinian people and open a humanitarian corridor”.
Updated
Israel committing 'health genocide' in Gaza, ministry says, as it updates death toll from Israeli attacks to 67,173
Gaza’s health ministry has shared some statistics about the devastating toll Israel’s assault – which is considered a genocide against the civilian population by many experts – has had on the people and infrastructure of Gaza:
67,173 Palestinian people have been killed and 169,780 injured in Israeli attacks since 7 October 2023, of whom 20,179 were children, 10,427 were women, 31,754 were men and 4,813 were “elderly people”.
At least 1,701 medical staff have been killed, with hundreds of others detained.
25 out of 38 hospitals are out of service; 13 are partially operational but many are facing shortages in medical supplies.
“Famine levels in the Gaza Strip have worsened to dangerous levels, according to UN classifications, with 460 deaths recorded due to famine and malnutrition, including 154 children, while 51,196 children under the age of five still suffer from severe malnutrition,” the health ministry said.
The inability to safely vaccinate people has led to a drop in the vaccination coverage rate for children to 80%.
In a statement published to Telegram, the health ministry (whose figures the UN finds credible) said:
What is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a humanitarian crisis, or just a passing description of a record full of crimes of the Israeli occupation, but rather a complete and deliberate collapse of the pillar of human existence represented by the health services system, which has been exposed over the course of 730 days to devastating and fatal blows that have struck the nerve of the service components and its infrastructure.
These crimes have deserved the description of “health genocide” due to the horror of the catastrophic indicators that have collapsed the health and humanitarian scene in the Gaza Strip…
Hospitals have been transformed into concrete structures due to direct and indirect military strikes, and are completely emptied of the components of diagnostic and therapeutic care.
Italy will submit a proposal for a worldwide ceasefire to the United Nations ahead of next year’s Milano-Cortina winter Olympics, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday.
As a concept, a global truce during the Olympics dates to the ancient games in Greece where warring factions agreed to put down their arms for the duration of the event, so that athletes could safely travel to and from ancient Olympia.
Calls by Olympics organisers and the UN for global ceasefires have not been heeded on the occasion of modern-era Games since 1896, including the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Milano-Cortina Games open on 6 February and run to 22 February.
“In view of the Milano-Cortina Olympics, we are presenting a proposal for an Olympic truce for all wars, including Ukraine and the Middle East, to the United Nations,” Tajani said.
Pope Leo’s debut overseas trip will be to Turkey and Lebanon, where he is expected to make appeals for peace across the Middle East, the Vatican has announced.
Leo, who was elected pontiff in May after the death of Pope Francis, will visit Turkey between 27 and 30 November and Lebanon from 30 November until 2 December.
Matteo Bruni, the Vatican’s spokesperson, said on Tuesday the pontiff had “accepted the invitation of the heads of state and ecclesiastical authorities” in Turkey and Lebanon.
Leo, the first North American pope, is expected to speak about the struggles of Christians across the region and appeal for peace. The pontiff said on Sunday that he hoped a plan to end the war in Gaza would soon reach the “desired results”. Leo’s role in pushing for peace in Gaza has become more prominent since Israel’s strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church in July, killing three people and injuring 10 others, including the parish priest.
Bruni said the trip to Turkey would include a meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s 260 million Orthodox Christians, for celebrations of the 1,700th anniversary of a major early church council, which took place in Nicaea, now called Iznik.
Hamas says it seeks to overcome obstacles in implementing Trump plan
Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum has just said that the Palestinian militant group’s delegation now in talks in Egypt on Donald Trump’s plan is seeking to overcome all obstacles to achieving a deal to end the war.
“The (Hamas) movement’s delegation participating in the current negotiations in Egypt is working to overcome all obstacles to reaching an agreement that meets the aspirations of our people in Gaza,” Barhoum said in a televised statement.
He said a deal must ensure an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip – conditions that Israel has never accepted. Israel, for its part wants Hamas to disarm, something the militant group rejects.
Hamas wants a permanent, comprehensive ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the immediate start of a comprehensive reconstruction process under the supervision of a Palestinian “national technocratic body”, he said.
As a reminder, Trump’s plan requires Hamas to return all 48 hostages – about 20 of them thought by Israel to still be alive – give up power and disarm in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a surge in aid and an end to Israel’s assault.
However, the proposal, which has been accepted by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sets no path to Palestinian statehood.
Hamas has only agreed to three points: the release of all hostages, the surrendering of power and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Hamas did not mention disarmament in its response to the plan – a sign that this could be a huge sticking point in negotiations.
Updated
British journalist Yvonne Ridley, who had been reported as missing by the Global Sumud Flotilla following detention by the Israelis last week, is safe and in Jordan, Scottish media have reported.
Newsquest journalist Lucy Jackson posted a photograph of Ridley in Jordan.
🚨 Yvonne Ridley @yvonneridley pictured freed in Jordan
— Lucy Jackson (@LucyAJackson_) October 7, 2025
This pic was sent to me by the Omar Al Mokhtar team - the boat Yvonne was sailing on
More info on the remaining activists as soon as we have it pic.twitter.com/6QQX0ZsejV
Qatar says Israel should have already stopped its attacks on Gaza
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson has been quoted by the AFP news agency as having said that Israel should have ceased its attacks on Gaza already in line with Donald Trump’s plan to bring an end to the war.
Majed al-Ansari told reporters in Doha:
We await the outcomes of the negotiations in the coming days regarding the ceasefire.
This question should be directed first to the Israeli occupation government.
It was supposed to actually cease fire if the statements made by the prime minister there regarding adherence to the Trump plan were true.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators are playing key parts in the talks between Hamas and Israel.
“I have no doubt that this round of negotiations is a process in which all parties are strongly committed to reaching a consensus, but there are many details to consider,” Ansari added.
He said the plan’s clauses “require practical interpretation on the ground, which of course requires communication with all parties”.
Tensions are still high between Qatar and Israel after an Israeli attack on Doha targeting the Hamas leadership last month.
Hamas has said that all of its leaders were safe, but five lower-ranked members were reportedly killed. Qatar said one of its security forces was killed in the attack and accused Israel of “state terrorism”.
It said the attack, which drew fierce international condemnation, seriously undermined ceasefire negotiations, but there is now renewed momentum for some kind of deal to be reached under the US plan.
Updated
A US delegation led by presidential envoy Steve Witkoff will join ceasefire talks tomorrow, minister says
A US delegation led by presidential envoy Steve Witkoff will join talks aimed at a truce in Gaza and hostage and prisoner exchange on Wednesday, Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty has said.
In a joint press conference with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, Abdelatty said they “had a long conversation with Steve Witkoff, who is expected in Egypt in the coming hours”.
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas leader who was one of the targets of an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha, Qatar, last month, was in Sharm el-Sheikh for indirect talks with Israel on Trump’s 20-point plan yesterday.
The US is being represented by Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law and former presidential adviser Jared Kushner.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced this weekend that strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer would lead Israel’s delegation, but has since said that foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk is in Egypt, among others, for Israel.
Mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the US have been holding shuttle talks between the Hamas and Israeli negotiating teams.
The indirect talks are continuing taking place in Egypt between delegations from Hamas and Israel today. There have been no reports of significant breakthroughs yet.
It’s not clear how long the talks will last. Netanyahu said they would be “confined to a few days maximum,” and Trump has said that Hamas must move quickly, “or else all bets will be off.”
Hamas officials have warned more time may be needed to locate bodies of hostages buried under rubble.
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'Time does not diminish the evil we saw that day,' says Starmer, on second anniversary of 7 October attacks
In a statement posted to social media, Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, called the deadly Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 “horrifying”, adding that “time does not diminish the evil we saw that day”.
He said:
The worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The brutal, cold blooded torture and murder of Jews in their own homes. And the taking of hostages, including British citizens, some of whom remain in Gaza today.
Since that awful day, so many have endured a living nightmare. When I spoke with some of the families of the British hostages, I promised them in person that we will not cease in our efforts to bring their loved ones home.
But back here in the UK, our Jewish communities have also endured rising antisemitism on our streets, in our country. And last week, a horrifying terrorist attack on the holy day of Yom Kippur in Manchester.
This is a stain on who we are, and this country will always stand tall and united against those who wish harm and hatred upon Jewish communities.
Starmer was, for a long time, largely supportive of Israel’s military response to the 7 October attack, insisting on the country’s right to “defend itself” despite the high civilian death toll in Gaza.
Starmer prompted fury after he said Israel had “the right” to withhold water and power from Palestinian people, in October 2023. In the same interview Starmer told LBC “obviously everything should be done within international law” and later clarified his remarks.
Over the last few months, the British prime minister, often in coordination with western allies, has become increasingly vocal against Israel’s assault on Gaza and the lack of aid being allowed in which has caused famine conditions in parts of the Strip.
In a rare defiance of the US on foreign policy, the UK recognised Palestinian statehood, along with a slew of other countries including Canada and Australia, last month, provoking anger in the Netanyahu government and a rebuke from Washington.
Updated
Deborah Cole is Berlin correspondent for the Guardian
Germany marked the two-year anniversary of the 7 October attacks with sombre commemorations across the country and official flags pulled to half mast.
In a video address, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a staunch but increasingly critical supporter of Israel, warned against the rise of antisemitism in Germany “in old and new guises … on social media, at the universities, on our streets – ever louder, ever more shameless and increasingly also in the form of violence”.
He called on Germans to show their solidarity with Jews. “Go to our Jewish citizens today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, wherever you can,” he said. “Let us all show that we stand by their side. And that together we will do everything we can to ensure that Jews here in Germany can live without fear, that they can live with confidence.”
Antisemitism in Germany is shameful. Now and always.
— Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) October 7, 2025
Let’s stand with the Jewish people of our country — today, on the two-year mark of Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel, and on each and every other day. pic.twitter.com/biQWbzwcFn
In a pre-dawn ceremony at the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin, the names of the victims of the Hamas attacks were read out, followed by an ecumenical memorial service at a nearby cathedral.
This evening a vigil against antisemitism will be held near Humboldt University in the capital, at the same time as a pro-Palestinian “Stop the Genocide” rally at Alexanderplatz.
At the former Tempelhof airport, a memorial commemoration “October 7, 06:29 - The Moment Music Stood Still” will partially re-enact the Nova festival that Hamas attacked.
On talks on a ceasefire in the region, Merz said he “underlines our demand: all hostages must be released immediately,” adding that he placed “great hope” in the US-backed peace process.
Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, who is on a Middle East tour, told German media he was hopeful a ceasefire could be reached between Hamas and Israel as early as next week. He rejected accusations by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Europe had been a no-show in the negotiations.
“Europe is important. The two permanent members of the security council, Britain and France, are important. I also believe that the European Union is important” to securing a deal, he told a podcast hosted by Bild reporter Paul Ronzheimer. He pledged German funds for rebuilding Gaza immediately after the war’s end.
Updated
Israeli attacks on Gaza continue despite ceasefire talks in Egypt
Despite the US president, Donald Trump, ordering Israel to stop its bombing, Israeli forces have continued attacks on Gaza, according to local reports.
Seven people, including one aid worker, have been killed in Israeli gunfire and shelling across Gaza since dawn, Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting.
Residents in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, and Gaza City in the north, reported heavy bombing from tanks and planes in the early hours on Tuesday, witnesses told the Reuters news agency.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a globally recognised organisation that classifies the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition, declared in August that an “entirely man-made” famine was taking place in Gaza City and its surrounding area.
“If a ceasefire is not implemented to allow humanitarian aid to reach everyone in the Gaza Strip, and if essential food supplies and basic health, nutrition and [sanitation and water] services are not restored immediately, avoidable deaths will increase exponentially,” the IPC report said.
The UN and other organisations continue to face massive logistical obstacles including widespread looting, ongoing Israeli bombardments, Israel’s administrative restrictions and bureaucracy and infrastructure damaged by Israeli attacks within Gaza.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which consisted of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers, activists, and aid supplies, set sail from Barcelona at the end of last month after the IPC famine declaration.
Jordan’s state news agency reported on Tuesday that 131 Gaza flotilla activists were deported from Israel to Jordan via the Allenby Bridge crossing.
The Jordanian foreign ministry said the activists came from the following countries: Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Oman, Kuwait, Libya, Pakistan, Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Serbia, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, the US and Uruguay.
Israeli forces intercepted all the dozens of boats of the Global Sumud flotilla (GSF), carrying more than 400 people including parliamentarians and the environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg, last week, as the vessels tried to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza to deliver aid to Palestinian people in desperate need.
Most of the people who were detained were held at Ketziot, a high-security prison in the Negev desert in Israel used primarily to detain Palestinians whom Israel accuses of involvement in terrorist activities.
Yesterday, Israel deported Thunberg and 170 other activists who had been detained, sending them to Greece and Slovakia. Israel has announced the deportations of 341 of the 479 people who were on board the 42 boats in the GSF.
International activists, journalists and lawyers deported from Israel after attempting to breach the maritime blockade of Gaza have alleged being subjected to brutal physical and verbal abuse by Israeli forces during their detention (you can read more about their experiences in this story by my colleagues).
Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has published some figures showing the catastrophic human damage Israel’s war has caused in Gaza (you can read more in the organisation’s factsheet here):
Over 66,100 people reported killed
Nearly all of Gaza’s residents have been displaced
Nearly 80% of structures damaged or destroyed
Over 370 Unrwa workers killed
Less than 40% of hospitals remain functional, all partially
Israel has faced growing international condemnation of its military conduct in Gaza, which has been deemed a genocide by the world’s leading association of genocide scholars.
Updated
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said the “dark day” of 7 October 2023 will be “forever seared” in our collective memory as he reiterated his calls for the immediate release of the remaining hostages being held by Hamas to “end the suffering for all”.
This is a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale that defies comprehension. Put an end to the hostilities in Gaza, Israel & the region now. Stop making civilians pay with their lives & their futures. After two years of trauma, we must choose hope. Now.
Guterres said Trump’s plan “presents an opportunity that must be seized to bring this tragic conflict to an end”.
Israel marks 7 October attacks anniversary - in pictures
Here are some more pictures coming out of Israel on the second anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attack:
Updated
Israelis gather to mark two years since 7 October Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people
Israelis have gathered across the country to mark the second anniversary of the Hamas-led 7 October attack, in which about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage during an unprecedented assault on southern Israel.
Unofficial commemorations are being held in the small kibbutzim of southern Israel whose members were killed or kidnapped, and a large rally will be held in Tel Aviv to call for the release of the remaining hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
A separate government memorial is set to be held on the Hebrew calendar anniversary next week in Israel’s national cemetery on Mount Herzl.
People held a moment of silence at the site of Israel’s Nova music festival to remember the victims of the 7 October attack early this morning, and bereaved families and survivors have been gathering since to commemorate victims.
The festival site was in the Negev desert, near the Re’im kibbutz close to the Gaza border, which was overrun by Hamas fighters during the attack.
Hamas militants killed 360 people and kidnapped dozens of others at the festival site where about 3,500 people had been partying.
Updated
While there are positive signs about this attempt to bring about an end to Israel’s war, there remains uncertainty over whether or not a deal can be secured and, crucially, maintained.
Hamas has partially accepted Trump’s 20 point plan, which Israel has agreed to, but there are still major sticking points that need resolving, including the future governance of Gaza, the extent of Israel’s military withdrawal and Hamas’ disarmament.
My colleague William Christou has more in this story on the other gaps that remain between Israel and Hamas:
Negotiators have to agree which Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails. The Palestinian delegation is likely to ask for political figures, such as the Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi, who are widely popular in the West Bank and Gaza.
Rightwing members of Netanyahu’s coalition have put pressure on to ensure such popular figures remain behind bars, Israeli media has reported.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right public security minister, threatened to quit the government if Hamas still existed after the release of hostages, adding another complication to already fragile peace talks.
Gaza ceasefire talks continue as Israelis mark two-year anniversary of 7 October attacks
The first round of Gaza talks between Hamas and mediators have ended in Egypt “amid a positive atmosphere”, Egyptian state-linked media reported early on Tuesday.
Al-Qahera News, which is linked to state intelligence, reported the talks will continue on Tuesday, also between Hamas and mediators in the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, where an Israeli delegation arrived on Monday.
Israel and Hamas are expected to engage in indirect talks on the details of a proposal by US President Donald Trump for a hostage-prisoner exchange and long-term ceasefire.
Trump’s 20-point plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body.
One of Hamas’s main conditions since the outset of the war has been a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in return for the release of the remaining hostages. And while the Palestinian militant group has indicated its readiness to relinquish administrative authority, it has consistently ruled out disarming.
During this first phase of talks, Egyptian and Qatari mediators are working with both sides to prepare ground conditions for the release of the remaining 48 Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for 1,700 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, and to determine the date of a temporary truce.
This round of negotiations is expected to be difficult and complex, and could last for several days, according to reports. We will have more details on the negotiations shortly.
The talks comes as Israelis across the country prepare to mark the second anniversary of the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.
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