Israel’s Netanyahu hopes to announce release of all hostages from Gaza in ‘coming days’

In a brief statement on Saturday, Netanyahu said he had sent a delegation to Egypt “to finalise technical details,” adding that “our goal is to contain these negotiations to a time frame of a few days”.

But Netanyahu signalled there would not be a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, something Hamas has long demanded. He said Israel’s military would continue to hold territories it controlled in Gaza, and that Hamas would be disarmed in the plan’s second phase, diplomatically “or through a military path by us”.

Trump later said the ceasefire would begin immediately upon confirmation by Hamas on the “initial withdrawal line” in Gaza.

Trump has also ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Some in Gaza City reported a notable easing of Israeli strikes on Saturday, though hospital officials said at least 22 people were killed, including women and children.