CAIRO – In a significant diplomatic push, delegations from Israel and Hamas are meeting with U.S. mediators in Cairo for indirect negotiations centered on a 20-point peace proposal put forward by former President Donald Trump. The talks aim to secure a deal for the release of hostages and an end to the nearly two-year war, even as deadly Israeli strikes continue in Gaza.
The negotiations are proceeding despite public resistance from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump has reportedly warned that a failure to make quick progress could lead to “massive bloodshed,” and has dispatched senior envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to help finalize the details of the plan.
According to sources, Hamas has shown a degree of openness to the proposal but is maintaining its core demands, including a guaranteed permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
These conditions are at odds with the stance of the Israeli government. Prime Minister Netanyahu has voiced strong opposition to a premature pullout, insisting that any agreement must include the full deradicalization of Gaza and the total disarmament of Hamas.
The urgency of the talks is underscored by ongoing violence. As negotiators convened in Egypt, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed at least 24 Palestinians, highlighting the severe human cost of the conflict that any agreement would seek to halt.
The Cairo meetings represent a critical test for the Trump-brokered initiative, which seeks to navigate the deeply entrenched positions of both warring parties.
