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Trump says he thinks Gaza hostages will be freed 'very soon'
President Donald Trump has said he thinks the hostages held in Gaza will start to be freed "very soon" as mediators are set to meet in Egypt on Monday for indirect peace talks between Hamas and Israel.
The talks come after Hamas agreed to some parts of a 20-point US peace plan, including releasing hostages and handing over Gaza governance to Palestinian technocrats, but is seeking negotiations on other issues.
The group's response did not mention the key demands of its disarmament and playing no future role in Gaza's governance.
When asked about flexibility, Trump told reporters "we don't need flexibility because everybody has pretty much agreed to it, but there will always be some changes".
Trump added that he had heard negotiations were "going very well".
"It's a great deal for Israel, it's a great deal for the entire Arab world, Muslim world, and world, so we're very happy about it."
Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes continued in Gaza, despite Trump telling Israel to "immediately stop the bombing" on Friday after Hamas responded to the proposed plan.
Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters on Sunday that "while certain bombings have actually stopped inside of the Gaza Strip, there's no ceasefire in place at this point in time".
Bedrosian said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given orders "to fire back for defensive purposes... if there is a threat to their life in the battlefield in Gaza".
Reports from Gaza say Israel continued air strikes and tank fire overnight and into Sunday, destroying a number of residential buildings in Gaza City.
A BBC correspondent heard explosions from inside Gaza and saw a plume of smoke while near the border in Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, on Sunday morning.
Another 65 people were killed by Israeli military operations in the 24 hours leading up to midday, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said.
Source: BBC
