Two envoys of US President Donald Trump are traveling to Egypt on Saturday to finalize talks on the release of hostages held in Gaza, the White House said after Hamas said it was ready to free them.

At the same time, the Israeli army announced that it would continue its operations in the Palestinian territory despite calls from Donald Trump and the families of hostages to immediately cease the bombing.

According to a White House official, envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are traveling to Egypt on Saturday to finalize arrangements for the hostages' release, as part of the US president's plan announced in late September to end the war in Gaza.

Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egyptian intelligence, reported that Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement would hold indirect talks in Cairo on Sunday and Monday "to discuss the organization of conditions on the ground for the exchange of all hostages and prisoners," referring to the Palestinians imprisoned by Israel who are to be released in exchange.

Egypt is one of the mediating countries trying to end the war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Mr. Trump warned Hamas on Saturday that he would "not tolerate any delay" in implementing its plan.

On Friday, Hamas said it was ready for immediate negotiations to release the hostages kidnapped on October 7 and end the war that has ravaged the Gaza Strip for nearly two years, as part of the plan.

The US president then called on Israel to "immediately stop the bombing of Gaza so that we can get the hostages out quickly and safely."

But at least 31 people have been killed since dawn on Saturday in Israeli strikes on Palestinian territory, according to Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

"Intensity of bombing"

According to him, 26 people died in this city in the north of the territory, where Israeli forces launched a major offensive on September 16, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee.

"The intensity (...) of Israeli bombardments on Gaza remains unchanged, with airstrikes, artillery fire and drone strikes," said Mohammed al-Moughayyir of the Civil Defense, which operates under the authority of Hamas.

The Israeli military said it was still conducting operations in Gaza City, urging residents to move away.

Controlling about 75% of the Gaza Strip, the army wants to seize Gaza City, which it presents as the great Hamas stronghold.

In Israel, the Hostage Families Forum welcomed the US demand for an immediate end to the war.

In Gaza, residents also welcomed the US president's call, "the only one capable of forcing Israel to obey and end the war," said Sami Adas, a forty-year-old living in a tent with his family in western Gaza.

The US plan includes a ceasefire, the release of the hostages within 72 hours, the phased withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the exile of its fighters.

It also provides for the establishment of a transitional authority made up of technocrats headed by Donald Trump, and the deployment of an international force. It excludes any role for Hamas "in the governance of Gaza."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the Trump plan announced in late September, but later said his army would remain in most of the Palestinian territory.

In its statement Friday, Hamas said it was ready to release all living hostages and return the bodies of deceased hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, as well as immediate negotiations on the "details" of the releases.

"All questions"

But Hamas did not mention the issue of its disarmament and stressed that it would participate in discussions on the future of the territory.

On Saturday, a Hamas leader said the movement was ready to begin negotiations to resolve "all issues."

The hostages were abducted during Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, which triggered war in Gaza. Israel has vowed to destroy the Islamist movement and denies it any role in the post-war period.

The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to a report compiled by AFP based on official data. Of the 251 people kidnapped that day, 47 are still being held hostage in Gaza, 25 of whom are dead, according to the army.

The Israeli retaliatory offensive has left at least 67,074 dead in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas Health Ministry, which the UN believes are reliable.

AFP