TRANSCRIPT
Talks to implement US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza are set to begin in Egypt later today.
Mediators from Israel, Hamas, the United States, and regional powers will gather in Cairo to negotiate what could become the most significant breakthrough since the war began two years ago.
At the heart of the talks is an agreement to free the remaining 48 hostages held in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Around 20 of those hostages are believed to be alive.
Israeli government spokeswoman, Shosh Bedrosian says Israel has agreed to the first phase of the deal.
"The Prime Minister instructed the team led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to finalise the technical details of the release of the hostages, a priority and first step of this deal. Now the team will be leaving tonight with plans for talks to begin tomorrow. And I want to reiterate these are technical talks. Israel's government has agreed to the first phase of this deal , which is the release of all 48 hostages at once."
Ms Bedrosian says Hamas has three days to release the hostages.
"Now the Prime Minister has also made it clear that in an agreement with the Trump administration, talks will be confined to a few days maximum, with no tolerance for manoeuvres that will delay talks by Hamas. Israel is standing by the 72-hour deadline from the moment all details are solidified with Hamas, and we'll be ready immediately to receive all of our hostages."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists there will be no tolerance for delays.
"I instructed the negotiation team, led by Minister Dermer, to go to Cairo to finalise the technical details of the release of our hostages. Our intention and the intention of our American friends is to limit this negotiation to just a few days. And you heard President Trump this evening, he said clearly: we will not tolerate stalling tactics, delays, or evasions by Hamas."
Families of the hostages say this is their last chance.
In Jerusalem, relatives held a vigil calling on leaders not to let the deal collapse.
Einav Zangauker is the mother of captive Matan Zangauker.
"After two years of struggle, two years in which 48 hostages and one female hostage are held captive by Hamas, we are a step away from a comprehensive deal and the end of the war. This opportunity must not be missed. We will not let it be missed."
Another relative, Udi Goren, appealed directly to Donald Trump.
"Dear President Trump, from the moment you took office hostages began to come back home. Now it’s the most crucial moment of them all, bringing everybody back home, and ending this war. Your determination made possible what many said was impossible. You have put forth a great plan and now we need your continued leadership to see it through to completion. The proposal is clear; all hostages must be released within 72 hours."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he hopes a deal between Israel and Hamas can be finalised early this week to allow the release of hostages from Gaza.
"This is the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released, every single one, all 48 including the 28 who are deceased, and of course the 20 who are still alive . But there are pitfalls along the way, there's some work to be done here. ... This cannot take weeks or even multiple days. We want to see this happen very fast. If it doesn't, then I think the entire deal becomes imperiled."
President Trump himself is pleased, calling his plan amazing.
"We have very little... we don't need flexibility because everybody has pretty much agreed to it. But there will always be some changes, but the Hamas plan - I tell you, it's amazing. We're going to have peace ... If you think about it - peace in the Middle East for the first time the say, really, in 3,000 years. So I am honoured to be part of that."]
On the ground, however, conditions remain fragile.
Israel says it has shifted to a defensive posture in Gaza, halting some offensive strikes.
But residents reported continued bombardments over the weekend, with air strikes and tank fire destroying residential blocks in Gaza City.
According to Gaza's health authorities, over the last 24 hours, Israeli military actions in the enclave have killed 65 Palestinians and injured 153 others.
This brings the total number of Palestinians killed since the 7th of October 2023, to over 67,000; and the number injured to nearly 170,000.
This comes as journalists were briefly escorted by the Israeli military into the city, offering a tightly-controlled glimpse of the devastation.
Meanwhile, the severity of the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains in the spotlight.
Dozens of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla - who were intercepted last week by Israeli forces - remain in detention.
The flotilla set sail from Spain in late August, with the goal of carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials to Gazans under naval blockade.
Some activists have returned home to hero’s welcomes.
(Sound of cheers)
In Tunisia, freed participants spoke of their ordeal but reminded supporters of where the world’s attention should lie.
Lotfi Hajji is a Tunisian journalist and flotilla participant.
"Although we have become the focus of attention, I want to say and emphasise that we should not become the event. The real event is Gaza. The event is the suffering in Gaza. The event is what the Palestinians are continuously enduring. Maybe we suffered for 72 hours from Israeli oppression, but that is nothing compared to what the people of Gaza are going through."
Spanish activists, too, arrived back in Madrid to cheering crowds.
Israel has now deported around 170 of the more than 450 activists it detained.
But the flotilla’s organisers say 42 activists who are still in custody have launched a hunger strike.
As Egypt prepares to host negotiations, the stakes could not be higher.
If all goes according to plan, the coming days could see the release of hostages, a pause in fighting, and the first step towards ending a war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
But with mistrust high and both sides under pressure, success is far from guaranteed.
