Jerusalem, Oct 6 (UNI) Israel remains committed to securing the release of all the remaining hostages in Hamas custody – alive and dead – amid final rounds of negotiations in Cairo, Coordinator for Captives and Missing Persons Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch said on Sunday night, assuaging the families of the victims.
"As in the past, I will do my utmost to stay in contact with you from there as well, as much as possible. Tomorrow, we set out for negotiations to bring back all our loved ones who are held hostage - both the living and the fallen - with commitment and determination," Hirsch wrote in his message, reports Jerusalem Post.
The talks mark the first phase of the 20-point plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump, which calls for the release of all hostages, cessation of hostilities, Hamas's disarmament, and a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The negotiations -- currently set to begin on Monday, are expected to last two to three days -- will make it clear whether a deal can be reached with Hamas which is realistic and mutually acceptable.
"Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are not coming to play games," an Israeli official told media agency. "We'll know very quickly – by the end of the week – whether Hamas is heading toward a deal or not."
The Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Sunday evening, while Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to join the discussions on Tuesday. A source of the Post – familiar with the mediations – said that even the negotiators are not very certain, and as such remain "cautiously optimistic" on whether a deal can be reached "within a few days."
An Israeli official added that "Hamas understands it doesn't really have a choice – it needs to agree."
However, despite the largely positive agreement of the terror group, it has its own conditions, the biggest being their bid to free noted terrorists, prior to the start of its talks in Egypt on Monday with the Israeli side where its commanders will finalise the return of all Israeli hostages in the first phase of Trump's peace plan.
UNI ANV PRS