Hamas and Israel are preparing to begin indirect negotiations on the hostage issue.
Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egyptian intelligence, reported on October 4th that Hamas and Israel would hold indirect talks in Cairo on October 5th and 6th to reach an agreement on the exchange of hostages and prisoners.
According to Al-Qahera News, the two delegations “have begun traveling to Cairo tomorrow and the day after (October 5-6), to discuss preparing the ground conditions for the complete exchange of detainees and prisoners, in accordance with the proposal of US President Donald Trump.”
Meanwhile, the US leader on the same day urged Hamas to act quickly on his plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, otherwise "all commitments will cease."
On the social media platform Truth Social, President Trump declared that he "will not tolerate any delays" or "any outcome that would once again make Gaza a threat."
Also on October 4th, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Palestinian Authority (PA) Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh held a telephone conversation to discuss the latest developments regarding the US-proposed ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry quoted Abdelatty as emphasizing that ending the fighting must ensure Palestinians remain on their land, rejecting any annexation plans, maintaining unity between the West Bank and Gaza, and promptly beginning recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister expressed hope that international efforts would contribute to achieving a comprehensive ceasefire, easing the humanitarian crisis, and allowing for increased aid to the Gaza Strip.
For his part, al-Sheikh highlighted the importance of capitalizing on the "positive momentum" from the ceasefire plan to end nearly two years of war and prevent a deeper humanitarian catastrophe, while praising Egypt's role in protecting Palestinian rights.
In a related development, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on October 4 that US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan was a "critical opportunity" to end the bloodshed "once and for all" in the Palestinian territories.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed hope that the momentum from the US President's plan would "pave the way for a complete end to hostilities, followed by recovery and reconstruction," and called for a solution "consistent with international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as the much-needed two-state solution."
Echoing Turk's sentiment, the World Health Organization (WHO) also welcomed the US leader's plan, particularly the prospect of rebuilding hospitals.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a statement saying: “For the past two years, we have never been closer to achieving peace than we are now. We cannot miss this opportunity.”
