Netanyahu Hopes to Secure Gaza Hostage Release Within Days as Talks Shift to Cairo

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday he hopes to bring home hostages held by Hamas within days, coinciding with the Jewish festival of Sukkot. Negotiators from Israel and Hamas are set to meet in Cairo to finalize details of a deal based on U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal.

Trump, who dispatched Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff to Egypt, warned Hamas against delays, stressing he would “not tolerate” stalling. Hamas on Friday expressed readiness to release all hostages under Trump’s exchange framework.

Despite Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes continued across Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 57 people, including 40 in Gaza City, according to local civil defense officials.

Netanyahu credited “military and diplomatic pressure” for Hamas’s concessions, while affirming that the group would ultimately be disarmed “diplomatically via Trump’s plan or militarily by us.” Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv urging swift action to secure a deal.

The Trump plan envisions a ceasefire, release of hostages within 72 hours, gradual Israeli withdrawal, Hamas’s disarmament, and a technocratic administration for post-war Gaza overseen by a transitional authority led by Trump.