Netanyahu says he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza ‘in the coming days’

TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza “in the coming days” as indirect talks with Hamas continue in Egypt on Monday on a new U.S. plan to end the war.

In a brief statement late Saturday, Netanyahu said he has sent a delegation to Egypt “to finalize technical details,” adding that “our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days.”

But Netanyahu signaled there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. He said Israel’s military will continue to hold territories it controls in Gaza, and that Hamas will be disarmed in the plan’s second phase, diplomatically “or through a military path by us.”

He spoke after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of the U.S. plan. President Trump welcomed the Hamas statement but said Saturday that “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off.”

Trump also told Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Some in Gaza City reported a notable easing of Israeli strikes Saturday.

Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said an official who was not authorized to speak to the media on the record.

Still, an Israeli strike on Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood killed at least 17 and injured 25 others, said Al-Ahli hospital director Fadel Naim. “The strikes are still ongoing,” Naim said. Israel’s military said it struck a Hamas member and “regrets any harm caused to uninvolved civilians.”

Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiyah told the AP earlier Saturday that Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza City, while bombing had “significantly subsided.” At least 67 people were killed in strikes Saturday, Palestinian health authorities said.

Trump appears determined to deliver on pledges to end the war and return all hostages ahead of the second anniversary on Tuesday of the Hamas attack that sparked it on Oct. 7, 2023. His proposal unveiled Monday has widespread international support.

Monday’s indirect talks are meant to prepare the way for the release of hostages from Gaza and Palestinians from Israeli detention, mediator Egypt said.

A senior Egyptian official said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Egypt to head the U.S. negotiating team.

The official also said Arab mediators are preparing for a comprehensive dialogue among Palestinians aimed at unifying their position toward Gaza’s future. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second most powerful militant group, said it accepted Hamas’ response after rejecting the plan days earlier.

Netanyahu is under increasing pressure to end the conflict. His office told the Associated Press that Netanyahu put out the rare late-night statement on the Sabbath, saying that Israel has started to prepare for the de-escalation under U.S. pressure.

Under the plan, Hamas is to release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It also would give up power and disarm.

In return, Israel would halt its offensive and withdraw from much of Gaza, release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction.

Two vocal members of the right-wing bloc of Netanyahu’s coalition, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, criticized the plan’s progress but didn’t threaten to immediately leave the government.

Palestinians in Gaza tried to piece together what the plan means in real terms.

“We want practical implementation. We want a truce on the ground,” said Sameer Qudeeh in Khan Yunis. He worried that talks will break down again.

“I hope Hamas ends the war, because we are truly tired,” said Mohammad Shaat, as anxious people roamed the shattered streets of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

Mednick and Magdy write for the Associated Press and reported from Tel Aviv and Cairo, respectively.