ISRAEL HAMAS TO NEGOTIATE IN EGYPT AHEAD OF POSSIBLE CEASEFIRE

Israel and Hamas prepared for indirect negotiations in Egypt on Monday, as hopes for a possible ceasefire began to build and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a truce and hostage release could take shape this week.

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The negotiations will take place after President Donald Trump welcomed the militant group's statement it has accepted some elements of the U.S. plan. Israel had previously said it supported the new U.S. effort to end the war.

Egypt will host delegations from Israel and Hamas on Monday to discuss the proposed exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, the country’s foreign ministry said. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is also joining the talks, according to an Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief reporters.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the current situation is “the closest we've come to getting all of the hostages released.”

Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” he described two phases after Hamas accepts Trump's framework: the hostages are released and Israel pulls back to the “yellow line,” where it was in August 2024.