Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes to bring all hostages home within days

CAIRO: Egypt will host Israeli and Hamas delegations on Monday to discuss "field conditions and details" for the exchange of "all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners" under the recent US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

Egypt hopes the discussions will help "end the war and the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people, which has continued for two consecutive years," the ministry said in a statement.

The anticipated meetings are part of Egypt's ongoing efforts, in coordination with other mediators, "aimed at ending the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip," it said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday voiced hope that all Israeli hostages held in Gaza could be released within days, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We are on the verge of a significant achievement," Netanyahu said in a live video statement. "It's not final yet, but I hope that during the upcoming Sukkot holiday, we will be able to secure the release of all the hostages, both living and deceased, while maintaining our military presence deep inside the Gaza Strip." Sukkot, a week-long Jewish holiday, begins on Monday evening.

However, Netanyahu said Israel intends to keep negotiations limited to just a few days, adding that in the US proposal's second phase, "Hamas will be disarmed, and the Gaza Strip will be demilitarised, whether through military action or diplomatic means."

Far-right ministers in Netanyahu's political-security cabinet and coalition have harshly criticised Netanyahu and the emerging agreement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Netanyahu's decision "a serious mistake and a sure recipe for Hamas stalling for time and the growing erosion of the Israeli position."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said if Hamas continues to exist after all the hostages are released, his faction will not be part of the government. (IANS)

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