Israeli delegation heads to Egypt for hostage talks with Hamas

An Israeli negotiating team headed by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was set to depart for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on Monday for indirect talks with Hamas terrorists regarding a hostage agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally ordered the team’s departure on Sunday night, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Netanyahu held a “lengthy meeting” on Sunday evening “to prepare the Hostages and the Missing Team ahead of their departure for Sharm El-Sheikh, where negotiations with the mediators will be held,” it added.

The delegation has been tasked with finalizing technical details of the captives’ release in the wake of Hamas’s initial acceptance of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the almost two-year-long Gaza war, which would lead to the immediate release of all 48 hostages.

Netanyahu’s office clarified in a Sunday media briefing that the premier, in an agreement with Washington, has limited the duration of the talks “to a few days maximum, with no tolerance” for delays.

A 72-hour deadline will go into effect “from the moment all details are solidified with Hamas,” stated PMO spokeswoman Shosh Badrosian.

Religious Zionism lawmaker Simcha Rothman expressed skepticism about the emerging agreement, telling JNS on Monday that he does not believe Hamas will willingly enter a deal requiring it to dissolve, leave Gaza and relinquish control.