We do not see any change to the situation; on the contrary, we don't know what shall we do.
In Cairo and Sharm el-Sheikh, the machinery of diplomacy turned once more as Hamas and Israeli delegations convened for indirect talks brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar — the latest attempt to halt a war that has consumed Gaza for two years and claimed more than 67,000 lives. President Trump, pressing for speed, outlined a 20-point roadmap and urged all parties to move fast, while mediators adopted a new strategy: locking in a comprehensive agreement upfront rather than risking the incremental unraveling that has doomed previous rounds. The talks carry the weight of 48 remaining hostages, a shattered civilian population, and the fragile political coalitions on both sides that could either enable or destroy any deal.
- Even as diplomats gathered at a Red Sea resort, Israeli strikes killed at least 19 Palestinians on Sunday — a reminder that the war does not pause for negotiations.
- Trump's 20-point roadmap injected rare momentum, with both sides signaling partial openness, but Hamas has so far refused to engage on the hardest demand: its own disarmament.
- Mediators are deliberately abandoning the phased approach that collapsed previous talks, betting that a single comprehensive agreement will hold where incremental deals have not.
- Netanyahu faces a political vise — hostage families and markets signal hunger for peace, while hardline coalition partners Smotrich and Ben-Gvir threaten to bring down the government if the war ends.
- Opposition leader Lapid has offered political cover, pledging his party will not allow hardliners to torpedo the deal, giving Netanyahu a potential path through his own coalition.
- For displaced Palestinians like Ahmed Assad, the diplomatic activity remains invisible on the ground — hope flickered when the plan was announced, but the streets are still dangerous and the future still unreadable.
On Sunday, Hamas's chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya arrived in Cairo — his first visit to Egypt since narrowly surviving an Israeli strike in Doha the previous month. By Monday, Israeli negotiators were heading to Sharm el-Sheikh for indirect talks brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, with the stated aim of negotiating a ceasefire, an Israeli withdrawal, and a prisoner exchange to free the hostages still held in Gaza.
President Trump had been pushing hard. His administration unveiled a 20-point roadmap and called for the first phase to conclude within the week. Hamas had accepted the hostage release framework on Friday but avoided the harder question of disarmament — a demand it has long rejected. Secretary of State Rubio framed the coming days as a test: the technical talks would quickly reveal whether Hamas was genuinely committed.
What set this round apart was its architecture. Rather than negotiating in phases — a pattern that had repeatedly stalled — mediators were now pushing to lock in all major terms at once. The logic was straightforward: previous breakdowns had come in subsequent rounds, and the goal was to eliminate those subsequent rounds entirely.
On the ground, none of this was visible. Israeli strikes killed at least 19 people in Gaza on Sunday alone. Ahmed Assad, displaced in central Gaza, described the gap between diplomatic news and lived reality: hope had flickered when Trump's plan was announced, but nothing had changed. He didn't know whether to stay in the streets or leave.
Inside Israel, the mood was different. The shekel hit a three-year high and Tel Aviv stocks reached a record — markets reading the diplomatic momentum as a signal that the war might end. But Netanyahu remained caught between a war-weary public demanding the hostages home and hardline coalition partners threatening to collapse his government if fighting stopped. Opposition leader Lapid offered a way out, pledging his party would not allow those partners to torpedo a deal.
The talks unfolded against a staggering backdrop: a war that began with the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostage, had since killed more than 67,000 Palestinians. Of the 48 hostages still in Gaza, only 20 were believed to be alive. Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in the region to help close the deal. Whether the new approach could succeed where every previous effort had failed remained the question that the coming days would answer.
In Cairo on Sunday, Hamas's chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya touched down with his delegation, marking his first trip to Egypt since an Israeli strike in Doha last month had narrowly missed him. By Monday morning, Israeli negotiators were also en route to Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort town where both sides would sit down for indirect talks brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. The stated goal was straightforward: negotiate the mechanics of a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a prisoner exchange that would free the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
President Trump had been pushing hard for momentum. His administration had unveiled a 20-point roadmap aimed at halting the fighting, securing the release of 48 remaining hostages—20 of whom were still alive—and charting a path for Gaza's future. Both Hamas and Israel had signaled openness to parts of the plan, though the details remained contested. Hamas had accepted the hostage release framework on Friday but sidestepped harder questions, particularly around its own disarmament, which it had long refused to consider. Trump, undeterred, had posted on social media that the first phase should wrap up within the week. "I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST," he wrote. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News that the coming days would reveal whether Hamas was genuinely committed: "We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics."
What distinguished this round from previous failed attempts was the negotiating strategy itself. Rather than the phased approach of earlier talks—where one phase would be agreed, then subsequent rounds would stall—mediators were now pushing for a comprehensive deal to be hammered out upfront. An official briefed on the talks explained the logic: "These subsequent rounds of negotiations is where things broke down previously and there is a conscious effort among mediators to avoid that approach this time around." The hope was that locking in all the major terms at once would prevent the unraveling that had derailed past efforts.
Yet on the ground in Gaza, the war continued unabated. On Sunday alone, Israeli planes and tanks struck across the enclave, killing at least 19 people according to local health authorities. Four were killed while seeking aid in the south; five died in an airstrike on Gaza City in the early afternoon. Ahmed Assad, a displaced Palestinian in central Gaza, captured the disconnect between the diplomatic theater and the lived reality. When news of Trump's plan first broke, he had felt a flicker of hope. But nothing had changed. "We do not see any change to the situation; on the contrary, we don't know what action to take, what shall we do? Shall we remain in the streets? Shall we leave?" he asked.
Inside Israel, the mood was more buoyant. The shekel hit a three-year high against the dollar, and Tel Aviv stocks reached an all-time high—a market signal of investor confidence that the war might finally be ending. Some residents shared that optimism. "It's the first time in months that I'm actually hopeful. Trump has really instilled a lot of hope into us," said Gil Shelly, a Tel Aviv resident. But Netanyahu was caught in a political vise. On one side, hostage families and a war-weary public were demanding an end to the fighting. On the other, hard-line members of his coalition—particularly Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir—were threatening to collapse the government if the war stopped. Smotrich had declared on social media that halting attacks on Gaza would be a "grave mistake." Yet opposition leader Yair Lapid had signaled he would provide political cover to allow the Trump initiative to proceed, pledging that his party "won't let them torpedo the deal."
The broader context hung over everything. Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed roughly 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 251 taken hostage, had now killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities. The scale of the destruction had isolated Israel internationally. Trump's envoys—his special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner—were in the region to help finalize the deal. The coming days would test whether the new negotiating approach could succeed where previous efforts had failed, and whether the political pressures on both sides could be managed long enough to reach an agreement.
Notable Quotes
We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics.— US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
It's the first time in months that I'm actually hopeful. Trump has really instilled a lot of hope into us.— Gil Shelly, Tel Aviv resident
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does this round of talks feel different from the ones that collapsed before?
They're trying to negotiate the whole deal upfront instead of piece by piece. Before, they'd agree on phase one, then come back to the table for phase two and everything would fall apart. This time they want all the major terms locked in at once.
But the fighting hasn't stopped, has it?
No. Planes and tanks were still hitting Gaza on Sunday while the delegations were arriving. That's the real tension—the diplomatic momentum and the military reality are completely disconnected.
What's Netanyahu's actual problem here?
He's being pulled in two directions. The families of hostages and most Israelis want the war to end. But his coalition partners—the far-right members—have threatened to bring down his government if he stops fighting. He needs political cover to make a deal.
And does he have it?
The opposition leader said he'd provide it. But that's a promise, not a guarantee. Everything depends on whether these talks actually produce something concrete.
What about the Palestinians on the ground? Are they hopeful?
Not really. A displaced man in Gaza said when he heard about Trump's plan he felt hope for a moment, but then nothing changed. The strikes kept coming. For people living through it, the diplomacy feels abstract.
So what happens if this fails too?
Then you're back where you started—a war that's killed over 67,000 people, 48 hostages still in Gaza, and no clear path forward. The market in Israel is betting on success, but that's always fragile.