After President Trump issued weekend threats telling Hamas to move quickly on implementing his 20-point Gaza peace plan, along with previously warning there'd be "hell to pay" if they don't free all 48 remaining hostages (living and deceased), it seems the sides are merely back to square one in a sense as delegations have been sent to Egypt.
"A delegation of Hamas officials led by the terror group’s leader Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Egypt on Sunday night to begin negotiations on Washington’s plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip and free all 48 remaining hostages — at least 20 of them alive — as US President Donald Trump implored all parties to move fast toward an agreement," Israeli media writes. An American official has told Sky News Arabia that still "There are many details that need to be worked on regarding the Gaza negotiations." But the message from Washington is that the priority is the immediate release of the hostages.
Negotiations over exactly how swaps will go down, and other conditions related to the future of Gaza - especially the disarming of Hamas and IDF partial withdrawal - are set for the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh. Trump had also previously cautioned that Hamas doesn't have much room for negotiations at all.
And yet, the Israeli side may not yet be fully on board either, which could present significant obstacles to achieving a final peace. Times of Israel points out:
Israel’s delegation also departed for Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday night, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still attempting to keep his right-wing coalition allies on board with Trump’s ambitious 20-point plan and prevent them from jumping ship and bringing down his coalition. Still, opposition leader Yair Lapid has promised Netanyahu a “safety net” to prevent his government from falling in any Knesset vote as a consequence of the prime minister advancing the deal.
Disapproval within Netanyahu’s coalition is not the only obstacle to reaching an agreement: Hamas has said it is prepared to release the hostages it is holding, subject to certain conditions, but is expected to make additional demands, including as regards the Israeli military’s withdrawal from the Strip and the release of Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for the hostages.
Hamas has indeed added some 'extra' demands such as asking for the release of some top terror chiefs held in Israeli prisons, which Tel Aviv is likely to scoff at.
Israel is said to have halted its Gaza City offensive pending the peace deal, however, heavy bombardment from the air has reportedly continued, with Gaza's Civil Defense most recently saying that 24 people have been killed in the last 24 hours.
And Middle East Eye reports, "Israel has killed more than 100 Palestinians since Hamas agreed on Friday to release all captives as part of the latest US ceasefire plan, with truce negotiations set to begin Monday in Egypt."
"Heavy bombing rocked the Gaza Strip over the weekend, with strikes reported on residential neighborhoods, refugee camps, and aid distribution points," it continues.
Even Egypt, which is playing host to the 'final' talks, is adding to the pressure, with Egypt’s President el-Sisi declaring Monday that "real peace in the Middle East will not be achieved unless an independent Palestinian state is created based on the principles of international legitimacy that restore rights to their rightful owners."
"Take the win," Trump urged...
But those who will be meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh will not be focused on such big picture things as a two-state solution, but instead on restoring a post-Hamas order to the Gaza Strip. Israel is certainly not going to sign on to a full-fledged Palestinian state.
Sisi added that a "ceasefire, the exchange of captives and Palestinian prisoners, redevelopment of Gaza, and the initiation of a peaceful political pathway towards the creation and recognition of a Palestinian state represent the correct track towards lasting peace and stability."