Hamas officials met with Israeli representatives in Egypt on Monday for talks aimed at ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of hostages, as the U.S. pushes for a deal despite disputes over disarming the Palestinian group under President Donald Trump’s plan.
Talks were set to begin as the war reached its two-year mark, with the majority of 2.2 million Gazans homeless and hungry in a sea of rubble after Israel's genocidal war has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians, Gaza health officials say.
The war was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, incursion that caused 1,200 deaths, took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies - the single bloodiest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas' attack ignited the war.
Israeli negotiators were due to travel to Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh later in the day for talks focused on freeing hostages, part of the U.S. president's 20-point blueprint for ending the conflict.
Wariness over breakthrough
