Hamas on Sunday (October 5, 2025) called for a swift start to a hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel as negotiators from the two warring sides meet in Egypt for crucial talks aimed at ending the nearly two-year war.

Foreign ministers of several countries, including Egypt, said the talks were a “real opportunity” to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.

“Hamas is very keen to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the prisoner exchange process in accordance with the field conditions,” a senior Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The diplomatic push follows the Palestinian militant group’s positive response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s roadmap for the release of captives in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Negotiators are due to hold talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing hope that hostages held in Gaza could be released within days.

Mr. Netanyahu said Saturday (October 4) he had instructed negotiators to go to Egypt “to finalise the technical details”, while Cairo confirmed it would also be hosting a delegation from Hamas for talks on “the ground conditions and details of the exchange of all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners”.

Egyptian state-linked media said the two parties would hold indirect talks on Sunday and Monday, just before the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war.

The White House said Mr. Trump had sent two envoys to Egypt — his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.

“During communications with mediators, Hamas insisted that it is essential for Israel to halt military operations across all areas of the Gaza Strip, cease all air, reconnaissance, and drone activity, and withdraw from inside Gaza City,” a Palestinian source close to Hamas said.

“In parallel with the cessation of Israeli military activity, Hamas and the resistance factions will also halt their military operations and actions,” he added.

According to Mr. Trump’s plan, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after October 7, 2023, from the onset of the war.

But Mr. Trump warned he would “not tolerate delay” from Hamas, urging the group to move quickly towards a deal “or else all bets will be off”.

Mr. Trump said on Truth Social that Israel had agreed to an initial line of withdrawal in Gaza and that this had been shared with Hamas.

“When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal,” he posted, alongside a map of the proposed line.

Mr. Netanyahu said that “in the coming days we will be able to bring back all our hostages… during the Sukkot holidays,” referring to the week-long Jewish festival that begins on Monday.

Strikes continue

Despite Mr. Trump calling on Israel to halt its bombings, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Gaza.

AFPTV footage showed thick smoke billowing into the skyline over the coastal territory on Sunday (October 5).

Gaza civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said Israeli strikes killed at least five people in Gaza City in the morning, after several attacks through the night.

On Saturday (October 4), nearly 60 people were killed in Israeli strikes, including 40 in Gaza City alone, the agency reported.

“The decision to occupy Gaza, the collapse of multi-storey buildings, and the intensity of IDF operations in the city have led to the evacuation of roughly 900,000 residents to the south, creating immense pressure on Hamas and the countries that support it,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a speech on Sunday (October 5).

The United Nations had estimated that around one million people were living the area before the start of the assault.

“There has been a noticeable decrease in the number of air strikes (since last night). The tanks and military vehicles have slightly pulled back, but I believe this is a tactical move, not a withdrawal,” said Muin Abu Rajab, 40, a resident of Al-Rimal neighbourhood in Gaza City.

No role for Hamas

Hamas has insisted it should have a say in the territory’s future.

Mr. Trump’s roadmap stipulates that Hamas and other factions “not have any role in the governance of Gaza”, while also calling for a halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’s disarmament.

Under the proposal, administration of the territory would be taken up by a technocratic body overseen by a post-war transitional authority headed by Mr. Trump himself.

“Netanyahu will not be able to escape this time… (Trump) is the only one who can force Israel to comply and stop the war,” said Sami Adas, 50, who lives in a tent in Gaza City with his family.

Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 67,139 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Published – October 05, 2025 06:54 pm IST

Israel said Saturday (October 4, 2025) its troops were still operating in Gaza and warned residents not to return, despite calls from the families of Israeli hostages and U.S. President Donald Trump for an immediate halt to the fighting.

Mr. Trump issued the appeal to the key U.S. ally after Palestinian militant group Hamas said it was ready to release all hostages and start talks on the details of his plan to en.d. the nearly two-year war.

“The movement announces its approval for the release of all hostages — living and remains — according to the exchange formula included in President Trump’s proposal,” Hamas said in a Friday statement.

Mr. Trump later posted on Truth Social: “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!”

A senior Hamas official said Saturday (October 4, 2025) the group was “ready to begin negotiations immediately to finalise all issues”.

Another Hamas official said Egypt, a mediator in the truce talks, would host a conference for Palestinian factions to decide on Gaza’s post-war future.

Mr. Trump’s proposal calls for a halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’s disarmament.

It also stipulates that Hamas and other factions “not have any role in the governance of Gaza”, with administration of the territory instead taken up by a technocratic body overseen by a post-war transitional authority headed by Mr. Trump himself.

“President Trump’s demand to stop the war immediately is essential to prevent serious and irreversible harm to the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

“We call on Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu to immediately begin efficient and swift negotiations to bring all our hostages home.”

Heavy bombardment

But despite Mr. Trump’s appeal, Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israel carried out dozens of attacks on Gaza City overnight, with nearby hospitals reporting casualties.

“It was a very violent night, during which the (Israeli army) carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City and other areas in the Strip, despite President Trump’s call to halt the bombing,” spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Mr. Bassal, whose agency is a rescue force which operates under Hamas authority, said 20 homes were destroyed overnight.

The Israeli military said it was operating in Gaza City and urged residents not to return.

“The IDF (Israeli military) troops are still operating in Gaza City, and returning to it is extremely dangerous. For your safety, avoid returning north or approaching areas of IDF troop activity anywhere — including in the southern Gaza Strip,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, said on X.

Israeli media reported that the military had shifted to a defensive posture in Gaza following Trump’s call, though the military did not confirm this to AFP.

Gaza City’s Baptist Hospital said it received casualties from a strike on a home in the city’s Tuffah neighbourhood, including four dead and several wounded.

Further south, Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis said two children were killed and eight people wounded in a drone strike on a tent in a camp for displaced Gazans.

Jamila al-Sayyid, 24, a resident of Gaza City’s Al-Zeitoun neighbourhood, said “the bombing was intense throughout the night. I was happy when Trump announced a ceasefire, but the warplanes did not stop.”

Hopeful reactions

An AFP journalist in coastal area of Al-Mawasi reported hearing celebratory cries of “Allahu akbar!” (God is the greatest) rise from tents housing Palestinians as news of Hamas’s statement spread.

“This is a day of joy, a great day. The war has been raging for two years,” said Sami Adas, 50, who lives in a tent in Gaza City with his family.

“The best thing is that President Trump himself announced a ceasefire, and Netanyahu will not be able to escape this time… he is the only one who can force Israel to comply and stop the war.”

Gaza peace plan LIVE

The latest developments drew hopeful reactions from world leaders and organisations, with UN rights chief Volker Turk saying it was was a “vital opportunity” to stop bloodshed and misery in the Palestinian territory “once and for all”.

The war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 67,074 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Their data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.

Published – October 04, 2025 11:07 pm IST