Trump calls for urgency as crucial Gaza peace talks commence

US President Donald Trump has urged everyone involved in efforts to end the Gaza war to move fast, as mediators are set to meet in Egypt on Monday, October 6, 2025, 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 freeing hostages and handing over Gaza governance to Palestinian technocrats, but is seeking negotiations on other issues.

Also Watch: Trump, Netanyahu Meet Amid Tensions Over Gaza Ceasefire Plan

The group’s response did not mention the key demands of its disarmament and playing no future role in Gaza’s governance.

Writing on social media that talks had been “very successful”, Trump said: “I am told the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to move fast.”

The US president added that “time is of the essence, or massive bloodshed will follow”.

Speaking to reporters earlier, Trump said he thought the hostages would start to be freed “very soon”.

When asked about flexibility in his peace plan, Trump said, “We don’t need flexibility because everybody has pretty much agreed to it, but there will always be some changes.”

“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,” he added.

Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes continued in Gaza, despite Trump telling Israel to “immediately stop the bombing” on Friday, October 3, 2025, after Hamas responded to the proposed plan.

Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters on Sunday that “while certain bombings have actually stopped inside the Gaza Strip, there’s no ceasefire in place at this point”.

Bedrosian said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given orders “to fire back for defensive purposes if there is a threat to their life on the battlefield in Gaza”.

Reports from Gaza say Israel continued air strikes and tank fire overnight and into Sunday, destroying several 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.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the BBC’s US news partner CBS News that the bombing needs to stop to facilitate a hostage release.

“You can’t release hostages while there’s still bombardments going on… that has to stop, but you also have to work through the other logistics,” he told CBS News’ Face the Nation.

“We want to get the hostages out as soon as possible,” he added.

The 20-point plan proposes an immediate end to fighting and the release of 48 hostages, only 20 of whom are thought to be alive, in exchange for hundreds of detained Gazans.

Netanyahu said in a televised address on Saturday that he hoped to announce the release of hostages “in the coming days”.

The prime minister has “made it clear that in an agreement with the Trump administration, talks will be confined to a few days maximum”, Bedrosian said.

Netanyahu ordered the departure of the Israeli delegation for the crucial talks.

A Hamas delegation headed by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, one of the targets of an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha, Qatar, in September 2025, was due to arrive in Cairo on Sunday, October 5, 2025, night.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will also attend.

The talks are expected to be among the most consequential since the start of the war and could determine whether a path toward ending the conflict is finally within reach.

Many Palestinians described Hamas’ response to the peace plan as unexpected, after days of indications that the group was preparing to reject or at least heavily condition its acceptance of Trump’s peace plan proposal.

Instead, Hamas refrained from including its traditional “red lines” in the official statement, a move many interpret as a sign of external pressure.