Israeli Delegation Heads to Egypt for Hostage Talks with Hamas
Akiva Van Koningsveld, Amelie Botbol : Oct 6, 2025
JNS.org
The delegation, led by Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, has been tasked with finalizing technical details of the captives' release in the wake of Hamas' initial acceptance of the Trump deal.
[JNS.org] 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. (Screengrab image: via AP)
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' initial acceptance of US 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.
"It has a lot of problems in it, but the main problem is what we already see happening: Hamas does not clearly accept or reject the agreement; it tries to buy time to negotiate and to undermine Israeli achievements. Standing firm on the principles of the State of Israel will make the difference between winning the war and losing it," said Rothman.
He stressed the government must achieve a clear victory, with the key principle being the return of the hostages—Hamas must release all 48 within 72 hours, or the deal will collapse, with no room for flexibility, he said.
Israel must also ensure, militarily and diplomatically, that Gaza remains demilitarized and Hamas will not take part in ruling the Strip, he stated.
If those three goals are achieved, Rothman said, "then it's a victory. It doesn't matter what the agreement says; what matters is the reality on the ground."
"Those are not my red lines, nor Religious Zionism's red lines—those are the red lines of the State of Israel and the decision of the Security Cabinet. Those are the goals of the war, and they are supposed to be Prime Minister Netanyahu's red lines as well," the lawmaker said.
Fellow Religious Zionism lawmaker Ohad Tal warned that the terrorist group is likely to try to stall and manipulate the process rather than comply.
"However, if Prime Minister Netanyahu is right that these goals can be achieved through the deal, then we will commend and support him. If not, we will demand that the IDF finishes off the job," he told JNS.
The agreement is contingent on the release of all 48 hostages at once—the 20 still alive and 28 deceased. It is the first thing that needs to happen before anything else takes place, Netanyahu has said.
According to Israel's Channel 12 News, Hamas is expected to demand the release of several of the most notorious Palestinian terrorists as part of the deal, including Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life terms and led Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades during the Second Intifada.
Other terrorists Hamas reportedly seeks to free include Ahmad Sa'adat, secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Ibrahim Hamed, serving 45 life sentences for his role as Hamas' leader in Judea and Samaria during the Second Intifada; Abbas al-Sayed, who planned the 2002 Park Hotel bombing that killed 39 Israelis; and Hassan Salameh, a Hamas operative serving 48 life terms for several bombings.
The Hebrew outlet cited a Hamas source as saying it wouldn't give up on securing the release of these senior terrorists, whose release Israel vetoed in previous talks, "even at the cost of dooming the deal."
Channel 12 also cited Hamas sources as saying the terrorist group would demand a wider initial Israeli withdrawal from the Strip than shown on the map the Trump administration published Saturday.
The first part of Trump's agreement seeks the release of the 48 hostages, living and dead, and an IDF withdrawal to a "yellow line" demarcated in Trump's plan, which is roughly where Israeli forces were located in mid-August, US Secretary of State Macro Rubio told NBC News on Sunday.
Otzma Yehudit Party lawmaker Yitzhak Kroizer told JNS that the Jewish state went to war with two main objectives: the return of all hostages and the destruction of Hamas' military and political capabilities.
"The combination of sustained military pressure and determined diplomacy has brought us to a moment where an outcome is within reach. But we will not accept temporary relief that leaves behind a permanent existential threat to the citizens of Israel," Kroizer said.
"Any durable arrangement must include the dismantling of Hamas' military infrastructure, the restoration of firm IDF control in all relevant areas, and the prevention of any governing structure that would allow Hamas or its affiliates to reconstitute their terrorist capabilities," said Kroizer. "These are not symbolic demands—they are existential conditions for the long-term security of our people."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hamas on Sunday that the IDF would "once again step up the intensity of fire" if the hostages are not freed "in the near future," while Trump simultaneously told CNN that the terrorists face "complete obliteration" if they refuse to cede power in the Gaza Strip and disarm, as envisioned in his proposal.
The US president, in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, wrote that "technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details" of the emerging Gaza agreement.
"I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to move fast. I will continue to monitor this centuries old 'conflict.' Time is of the essence or, massive bloodshed will follow—something that nobody wants to see!" Trump warned in the post.
Avichai Boaron, a member of Netanyahu's ruling Likud Party, told JNS that Jerusalem has a "huge opportunity" with Trump's peace proposal.
Trump and Netanyahu reached a deal "to bring about the release of the hostages and to free Gaza from Hamas' control, transforming it from a war zone into a place of prosperity," Boaron explained.
Boaron said the outcome will hinge on Monday's negotiations in Egypt. "If we build a task force to ensure Hamas does not rearm, if we exclude the Palestinian Authority from the process, and if the forces in Gaza are not Islamist, we can reach the goal of preventing Gaza from becoming armed again—that is the central issue," he told JNS. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here
"The core objective is to clear Hamas from Gaza and destroy it as a terror organization. If we don't, other terror groups will learn that you don't need atomic bombs or ballistic missiles to bring Israel to its knees—kidnappings will suffice, and it could happen everywhere," he warned.
Reprinted with permission from JNS.org