Middle East: Gaza strikes reported ahead of Egypt talks

US President Donald Trump has praised discussions between Hamas negotiators and mediating countries ahead of talks in Egypt on Monday.

The meetings in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh will focus on Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which he unveiled last week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump suggested the first phase of the plan could be completed in the coming week.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said, "There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East."

The US president said the talks have been "very successful" and were "proceeding rapidly."

He said the "technical teams" meeting in Egypt on Monday would "work through and clarify the final details" of his peace plan.

"I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST," Trump said, adding that he would "continue to monitor this Centuries old 'conflict.'"

Trump signed off with another all caps warning seemingly to Hamas. "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW — SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!"

Israeli military's Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir said fighting would continue if the political effort to secure a peace agreement failed.

"There is no ceasefire (at the moment), but the operational situation has changed, with the political level converting the tools and achievements you have gained through military action into political gains," Zamir said in a statement.

"If the political effort fails, we will return to fighting," Zamir added.

Talks over the potential end of the war in Gaza and a hostage deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are due to take place in Egypt on Monday.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Sunday voiced optimism about the chances for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza after meetings with Qatari colleagues.

Wadephul said the current 20-point plan put forth by US President Donald Trump represents the best available option for achieving a breakthrough in the nearly two-year war.

"Everything's possible, everything's attainable, but we have a lot of tough negotiations ahead us," he told reporters.

Wadephul, who will travel to Israel on Monday, said Germany is prepared to do its part in reaching a ceasefire, noting that Berlin maintains open channels of communication with many of the parties involved in negotiations. 

While emphasizing that many details still need resolution, Wadephul claimed there is a realistic chance that Hamas-held hostages could soon be freed, a ceasefire could be achieved and humanitarian help could once again be delivered to Palestinians in Gaza.

He said negotiators owe it to the hostages as well as all those suffering in Gaza. "Now," he said, "is the time for diplomacy."

Asked what role Germany is prepared to take on, Wadephul said Berlin had offered its help in reconstruction as well as on Trump's so-called "peace board." He noted, however, that Berlin would not insist on being included but that Germany is more than willing to do its part, "should both sides want it." 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly criticized European countries' positions on Israel's war in Gaza and has accused Europe of being absent in the peace deal process.

In an interview with broadcaster Euronews, Netanyahu said this was because Europe "basically caved in to Palestinian terrorism (and) radical Islamist minorities."

"That's why Europe has essentially become irrelevant and displayed enormous weakness," Netanyahu told Euronews, adding that US President Donald Trump had taken the initiative in the process.

Netanyahu said the decision of 15 out of 27 EU member states to recognize independent Palestinian statehood was "an ultimate reward (to) Islamists."

"They basically said let's just give them a Palestinian state which would be the ultimate reward for Hamas after doing the greatest massacre against the Jews since the Holocaust," Netanyahu said.

The European countries that have recognized Palestinian statehood have also said Hamas should not be allowed to have a role in government.

The EU has taken a stronger stance on Israel and in September, proposed plans to restrict trade and sanction extremist ministers in Israel's government.

At the time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would put bilateral support on hold, adding that what was taking place in Gaza "has shaken the conscience of the world."

Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, on Sunday, calling on the Netherlands government to do more to stop Israel from committing what they called war crimes against the Palestinian population in Gaza.

The protest comes just over three weeks before the Netherlands holds a general election on October 29.

Many of the estimated 250,000 protesters wore red to support a symbolic "red line" against Israel's siege of Gaza.

Protesters chanted "Free, free Palestine" and carried banners reading "Israel shame on you!" and "We are not free until Gaza is free."

The Dutch government long gave staunch support to Israel but has gradually moved to a more critical stance amid growing accusations that a genocide is taking place in the Palestinian territory — accusations Israel has dismissed as baseless.

The Netherlands imposed travel bans on two far-right Israeli government ministers, accusing them of inciting violence against Palestinians and calling for an "ethnic cleansing" of Gaza.

More protests in Turkey

Other large pro-Palestinian demonstrations were held in the Turkish cities of Istanbul and Ankara.

There is strong support for Palestinians in Muslim-majority Turkey, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is an outspoken critic of Israel's military operations in Gaza.

In Britain, hundreds of people rallied in Manchester to mark the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants in Israel that triggered the conflict in Gaza and mourn the victims of a recent attack on a synagogue in the city in which two men died.

A crowd holding Israeli and British flags gathered outside Manchester Cathedral, with protesters calling for the release of hostages still held by Hamas since the attack nearly two years ago.

The French capital, Paris, also saw a rally by hundreds of demonstrators calling for the hostages' release.

The demonstrations on Sunday came a day after large Palestinian solidarity rallies in numerous European cities.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and welcomed Israel's support for US President Trump's plan for the future of Gaza.

"The announced withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza is a step in the right direction," Merz said, according to a post on X. 

The German leader also said, "Talks in Egypt must now swiftly lead to an agreement on ending the hostilities, the immediate release of the hostages, full humanitarian access, and the disarmament of Hamas."

The Palestinian militant group Hamas faces "complete obliteration" if it refuses to cede control of Gaza under a US-proposed peace plan, US President Donald Trump has told US broadcaster CNN in an exchange of text messages.

Asked whether Hamas had, in fact, effectively rejected key points in the plan by saying it would not disarm, wanted Gaza to remain under Palestinian control and needed negotiations before releasing hostages, Trump wrote only, "We will find out. Only time will tell!!!" 

Trump wrote that he expects clarity on whether Hamas wants peace "soon," while saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported ending the bombing campaign in Gaza and Trump's vision for the Palestinian territory.

Trump added that he hoped the ceasefire proposal would be realized and said he was working hard toward that goal.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the war in Gaza has not yet ended even though both Israel and Hamas had agreed to parts of  President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza.

In comments made ahead of talks in Egypt, Rubio said Hamas had agreed in principle to what happens in Gaza if the war ends.

"We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics," Rubio told NBC News' "Meet the Press." 

Asked about when he expected the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, Rubio said he wanted them released as soon as possible.

"I think the Israelis and everyone acknowledge you can't release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop," Rubio on the CBS News talk show "Face the Nation."

He also said that he foresaw difficulties in setting up a Gaza administration, saying that it was not possible to establish a governance structure that was not Hamas — the Palestinian territory's current rulers — in three days.

Trump's plan foresees a transitional body to control Gaza, with former Hamas members either to stay and commit to the new plan or be allowed safe passage to other, unnamed, countries.

The technocratic ruling committee would be subject to oversight by an international transitional board headed and chaired by Trump, according to the White House.

The Israeli army intercepted a missile Houthi rebels launched from Yemen, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Sirens were heard overnight in Israel's central regions, including the area that surrounds the country's largest international airport, which the militant group has often targeted in the past several months.

There were no reports of injuries or property damage.

Syria is holding an indirect vote for the country's transitional parliament. 

It is the first time elections are being held in the country in the era after longtime ruler Bashar Assad was ousted.

The process has been criticized as undemocratic because a third of the parliament's members will be directly appointed by interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. Most of the parliamentary seats will be voted on by electoral colleges in each district of the country, making it more of an indirect vote.

The organizing committee said more than 1,500 candidates are running for Syria's 210-seat parliament, with only 14% of them being women.

Those voted in will receive a renewable mandate of 30 months.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul headed to the Gulf region on Sunday amid US-brokered talks between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

According to Wadephul, "decisive international cooperation" is needed to "quickly implement" the plan US President Donald Trump proposed.

"The signals of the recent days give me confidence that Israel's government and Hamas are ready to take the necessary steps," Germany's top diplomat said,

He added that the two sides still need the "assistance of all those who can exert influence" to reach an agreement.

Wadephul will continue his trip from Kuwait to Israel to hold talks on the US plan with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, according to a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Wadephul called Trump's plan a "great chance" to achieve peace and secure the release of the Israeli hostages, some of whom are German nationals.

Talks over the potential end of the war in Gaza and a hostage deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas will take place in Egypt on Monday.

Who will be at the Egypt talks?

Negotiation teams arrived in Cairo on Sunday ahead of the talks, with optimistic tones coming from both Israel, Hamas and the mediating countries, the United States and Egypt, regarding the chances of reaching an agreement. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will also be in Egypt for the talks.

Israeli and Saudi media reported that Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas figure, will lead the militant group's delegation to the Cairo talks. Israel attempted to assassinate al-Hayya last month in Qatar, but he survived the strike.   

In a recorded message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced hope the Israeli hostages could be at home at some point during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which takes place from Monday evening until Tuesday evening, October 14.

"Hamas will be disarmed… either diplomatically via Trump's plan or militarily by us," Netanyahu said.

Hamas, which is designated a terror organization by Israel, the US and several other countries, is believed to be still holding 48 hostages in the Gaza Strip. Twenty of the hostages are believed to be alive. 

Fresh Israeli strikes reported 

Despite Trump's call for a pause in hostilities, Israeli strikes were still reported in Gaza overnight.

Gaza's Civil Defense agency said five people were killed by Israeli strikes on Sunday, according to the Times of Israel. Reuters news agency also reported fresh strikes on Gaza on Sunday, citing Palestinian witnesses.   

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said "some 900,000 residents" of Gaza City have moved towards the embattled territory's south. Israel launched an offensive in August to take over Gaza City from Hamas.  

We will be following the runup to the indirect talks between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, with all sides voicing opitimism over the chances of sealing a deal that would end the war in Gaza and bring the Israeli hostages home.

Several news outlets have reported fresh Israeli strikes on Gaza this morning ahead of the talks, which are expected to begin on Monday.  

Elsewhere, Syrians are heading to the polls for the first time since former President Bashar Assad's ouster.

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