Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Betul Yilmaz
06 October 2025•Update: 06 October 2025
JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL
An Israeli delegation arrived in Egypt on Monday for indirect talks with Hamas to reach a ceasefire and hostage swap deal in Gaza, according to local media.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said the negotiating team arrived in the Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh for the talks, held under a plan presented by US President Donald Trump.
The negotiations are scheduled to start on Monday evening, the broadcaster said.
KAN, citing sources familiar with the matter, said significant gaps remain between the two sides regarding post-hostage release arrangements and the necessary security guarantees.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who will be leading the Israeli team, will depart for Egypt on Wednesday upon instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the outlet said.
On Sunday, a Hamas delegation, headed by the group’s leader in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya, arrived in Egypt for the ceasefire talks.
On Saturday, the US news outlet Axios reported that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Egypt to participate in the ceasefire talks.
However, Israel’s Channel 14 said that Witkoff and Kushner will not be joining the talks, contrary to the original plan.
On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan that includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas, and the rebuilding of Gaza.
The Israeli army has killed over 67,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.
