US and Israeli negotiators are due to meet Hamas officials for indirect ceasefire talks in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in the coming hours. The talks come after Hamas agreed to parts of the 20-point ceasefire plan US President Donald Trump unveiled last week, after consultations with Arab and Muslim leaders.
- Trump, who gave Hamas a Sunday afternoon deadline to accept the deal or face 'consequences', told reporters yesterday, “…it looks like it's working. So we'll wait for a little while, see how it all turns out.” On Truth Social, Trump characterised the talks as technical negotiations to “work through and clarify the final details” of the first phase of the ceasefire.
- Secretary of State Rubio told Fox on Sunday, "There's talks ongoing, which we hope will be finalized very quickly, on the logistics of that..." Rubio told ABC 90% of the work has been completed, "Who knows the timeline, but this cannot take weeks or even multiple days. We want to see this happen very fast."
- While Israel and Hamas have signalled intent to move forward with a ceasefire, gaps remain. The most significant, Hamas’s objection to disarming and being excluded from the future governance of Gaza.
- NYT reports that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, “is in no position to defy [Trump] while facing [growing international isolation], analysts say, increasing its reliance on the United States.” CNN reports, "Deadly strikes continue to batter Gaza despite [Trump’s] call for Israel to pause the bombing."
- White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to join the talks on Tuesday or Wednesday, per Axios.