Germany Talks on peace plan planned in Egypt from Monday
Ahead of talks planned in Egypt on his Middle East peace plan, US President Donald Trump is calling on Islamist Hamas to agree to his initiative quickly. "I will not tolerate any delay", the Republican wrote on the Truth Social platform - and also no outcome in which the Gaza Strip once again poses a threat. Hamas must act quickly. "Let's get this over with - FAST."
05.10.2025, 05:20
05.10.2025, 05:21
SDA
Egypt expects negotiators on Monday
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry in Cairo announced that the country would receive representatives of Israel and Hamas this Monday for talks on the exchange of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip with Palestinian prisoners. The talks, which are likely to be held via mediators, are "part of efforts to build on the regional and international momentum" that has emerged following Trump's presentation of the peace plan, it said. The details of an exchange were to be discussed.
A location for the meeting was not officially named, but the tourist resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in the south of the Sinai Peninsula was also under discussion alongside Cairo. Several Israeli media outlets also reported that US special envoy Steve Witkoff would also be coming to the region to take part in the talks.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) is already in the Gulf emirate of Qatar today. He first wants to discuss the situation with Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Qatar is regarded as a key mediator between Israel and the Palestinians.
According to sources close to Hamas, the organization wanted to send a delegation to Egypt this evening for talks on the peace plan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said in a video address that he had instructed the Israeli negotiating team to travel to Egypt.
The talks will focus on clarifying the final details of the hostage handover. Israel and the USA are determined to limit the indirect negotiations with Hamas to a few days, Netanyahu emphasized.
Trump: Immediate ceasefire if Hamas agrees
Meanwhile, Trump made it clear that a ceasefire would be possible immediately if Hamas also agreed to a specific withdrawal line for the Israeli army in the coastal strip. Israel had already approved this line, the Republican wrote on the Truth Social platform. "As soon as Hamas agrees, the ceasefire comes into force IMMEDIATELY." This will be followed by the exchange of hostages and prisoners and the conditions will be created for the next phase of the withdrawal.
Under his post, Trump also posted a graphic showing a line in the Gaza Strip. In his peace plan for an end to the Gaza war, which he presented almost a week ago, no specific line of retreat was named. Instead, it said: Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed line to prepare for a hostage release.
Shortly before Trump's announcement, Netanyahu had made it clear that the Israeli army would reposition itself, but would continue to control strategically important areas "deep in the Gaza Strip".
Netanyahu confident: all hostages to be returned soon
Netanyahu also expressed hope that the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip could be released soon. "We are on the verge of a major achievement," he said. However, this is not yet absolutely certain. "I hope that, with God's help, we will be able to inform you in the next few days, during the Feast of Tabernacles, about the return of all our hostages." The Feast of Tabernacles begins on Monday evening and lasts for a week.
At the same time, Netanyahu emphasized that the return of the hostages could take place while the Israeli army remains stationed in the Gaza Strip. It was certain that Hamas would be disarmed and the Gaza Strip demilitarized. This could either be done diplomatically - in line with Trump's peace plan - or by military means. "It will be achieved the easy way or the hard way - but it will happen."
Hamas had previously always made the withdrawal of the Israeli military a condition for the return of all hostages. According to Palestinian reports, there were again heavy air strikes on Saturday with at least 70 dead. The information could not initially be independently verified.
There are currently 48 hostages still being held by Islamists, including seven German nationals. According to Israeli information, 20 of those kidnapped are still alive. Hamas has told mediators in the past that it does not know where some of the bodies are.
Far-right government partner threatens to break coalition
Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners, on whom he depends for the survival of his government, sharply criticized him. They had called for the annexation and resettlement of the coastal strip from which Israel withdrew 20 years ago. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described Netanyahu's decision to halt the military offensive in the city of Gaza and hold talks as a "serious mistake". This undermines Israel's position.
Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is also ultra-right, threatened to withdraw his party from the government if the "terrorist organization Hamas continues to exist" after the release of all hostages. "We will not participate in a national defeat that (...) will become a ticking time bomb for the next massacre," he said.
Mother of a hostage warns against Netanyahu and the far-right
The mother of a hostage, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, warned at a demonstration in Tel Aviv that Netanyahu, together with Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, could still bring about the hostage release. According to the Organization of Relatives of Hostages, 120,000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv for the swift release of the hostages and a peace agreement.
On Friday evening, Hamas had accepted parts of Trump's peace plan - including the release of all hostages in principle - but at the same time demanded further negotiations.
Disarming Hamas and Israel's withdrawal are sticking points
The talks in Egypt are likely to focus on a whole range of contentious issues. On Friday evening, Hamas did not comment on the demand in Trump's peace plan for it to disarm. According to information from Hamas sources, this is a difficult demand for the Islamists to fulfill. The question of how the individual steps of Trump's 20-point peace plan can be dovetailed in terms of time and space also remains unresolved.
The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre carried out by Hamas and other terrorists in Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.
