Israeli and Hamas negotiators were preparing for talks in Cairo planned for Monday, which mediators hope will pave the way for the end of the war in Gaza and the release of the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
But American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators will face numerous roadblocks that could delay or undermine the chances for a quick cease-fire in the two-year-old war.
The negotiations in Cairo will focus on the terms for releasing Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, according to Egypt and Israel. Israel believes that about 20 living hostages still remain in Gaza, as well as the bodies of at least 25 others.
Under the terms of President Trump’s latest plan to end the war, the hostages will be swapped for 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in prison as well as for 1,700 Gazans jailed by Israel during the war. Israel will also hand over the bodies of 15 Gazans for each dead Israeli.
Mr. Trump suggested in a post on social media that the hostages might be released as soon as Hamas agrees to the latest terms, particularly how far Israeli forces will withdraw from their current position in Gaza.
But that is only one element of Mr. Trump’s sweeping plan, which envisions the creation of an internationally supervised Palestinian government and a postwar security force drawn from foreign countries, as well as the disarming of Hamas.
Hamas officials have expressed significant reservations about many of these points, particularly about laying down their weapons. And because they view the hostages as their most significant bargaining chip with Israel, they are unlikely to free them before the rest of the deal is worked out.
Even the terms of exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners will most likely present difficulties, analysts say.
Mr. Trump’s proposal demands that Hamas return all of the surviving captives and the bodies in its possession within 72 hours of Israel agreeing to the cease-fire.
But both Israeli and Hamas officials say that the Palestinian group might need more time. Some living captives are believed to be held deep underground, while the bodies of others will need to be located and dug up.
Another thorny issue will be how far Israeli forces commit to withdrawing from their current positions within Gaza.
In previous talks, Hamas had agreed for Israeli troops to withdraw to a buffer zone close to the enclave’s borders. But the lines envisioned by Mr. Trump would leave Israeli forces deployed far deeper in Gaza, which Hamas could object to.
Israel and Hamas have now fought for two years since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war and killed about 1,200 people. The devastating Israeli campaign in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 people — including thousands of children — according to local health officials.
Aaron Boxerman is a Times reporter covering Israel and Gaza. He is based in Jerusalem.
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