The Latest: Israeli and Hamas officials discuss US peace plan for Gaza

Israeli and Hamas officials are holding indirect talks in an Egyptian resort Monday on a U.S. peace plan for Gaza.

The talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh will focus on the first stage of a ceasefire, including the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces as well as the release of hostages held by the militants in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention, according to a statement from Hamas.

U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are also expected to join the talks, Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram reported.

The latest push for peace comes after Hamas accepted some elements of the U.S. peace plan, a move welcomed by Trump. Israel has said it supported the new U.S. effort. Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — about 20 believed to be alive — within three days. It would give up power and disarm.

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 mostly civilians in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefire or other deals.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll in the war reached 67,160 on Monday. The ministry does not differentiate how many of those killed were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up about half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

Here’s the latest:

Arab mediators meet Hamas delegation at the start of talks in Egypt

Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera News television station reported that the talks began with a meeting between Arab mediators and the Hamas delegation.

Mediators will then meet with the Israeli delegation, the station, which is close to Egyptian security agencies, said.

Egyptian and Qatari mediators will discuss the outcome of their meetings with both parties, before U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff joins the talks, it said.

Vatican condemns Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s response in Gaza

The Vatican has marked the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by condemning the “inhuman massacre” of innocent people in Israel and calling for the return of hostages. But it also said Israel’s razing of Gaza is itself a disproportionate massacre, and called on countries to stop supplying Israel weapons to wage the war.

Vatican Media interviewed Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on the eve of the anniversary, in which the Vatican No. 2 sought to strike a balance between condemning the original attacks and Israel’s response.

“Those who are attacked have a right to defend themselves, but even legitimate defense must respect the principle of proportionality,” Parolin said. “The perverse chain of hatred can only generate a spiral that leads nowhere good.”

While calling for the return of hostages taken by Hamas, Parolin said Israel must respect principles of international law.

“It seems evident that the war waged by the Israeli army to eliminate Hamas militants disregards the fact that it is targeting a largely defenseless population, already pushed to the brink, in an area where buildings and homes are reduced to rubble,” he said.

He lamented that countries that can influence Israel have failed to stop the “ongoing massacre.”

He said the Holy See welcomed and supported Trump’s peace plan.

Talks in Egypt are underway

An Egyptian official said talks involving Israeli and Hamas officials were underway at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh Monday afternoon. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he’s authorized to speak publicly about the talks.

The Israelis are headed by top negotiator Ron Dermer while Khalil al-Hayyah leads the Hamas delegation.

__ By Sam Magdy in Cairo

Greta Thunberg among flotilla activists deported from Israel

Israeli authorities said Monday that they have deported to Greece and Slovakia another 171 people detained for taking part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted on X that “the deportees were citizens of Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Serbia, and the United States.” The post included photos of Thunberg and other activists wearing white T-shirts and gray sweatpants.

Israeli authorities rejected once again mistreatment accusations that have emerged in interviews with activists who were deported to Turkey, Spain and Italy over the weekend.

Families of hostages urge Nobel Committee to award Peace Prize to Trump

Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza urged the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the Nobel Peace Prize to President Donald Trump for what they say are his unprecedented contributions to world peace.

In a letter to the committee released Monday, family members said Trump’s determination to achieve peace “made possible what many said was impossible.”

They said Trump deserves the prize because of his vow not to rest until every last hostage returns home and because no other leader or organization “has contributed more to peace around the world” in the last year.

The letter states that thanks to Trump’s peace plan that’s being negotiated, “for the first time in months, we are hopeful that our nightmare will finally be over.”

Women in Istanbul form human chain in solidarity with Gaza

Hundreds of women in Istanbul formed a human chain to express solidarity with Palestinian women and children killed in the war in Gaza.

The demonstration — where participants held hands or stood shoulder to shoulder — was organized by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruling party. It came on the eve of the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. That assault, carried out by Hamas-led militants, triggered Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza, which has since claimed more than 67,100 lives.

Similar protests took place simultaneously in Ankara and other cities across Turkey. Many of the women waved Palestinian flags or wore the traditional kaffiyeh scarf.

Israeli attacks kill 19 in the last 24 hours, Gaza Health Ministry says

The Health Ministry in Gaza said Monday the bodies of 19 people, including two aid-seekers killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire, have been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours. Another 96 were wounded.

The deaths brought the toll to 67,160 since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, triggered the war, with nearly 170,000 wounded, the ministry said.

Talks take place in Egypt as it marks anniversary of 1973 war with Israel

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi on Monday hailed Trump’s efforts to stop the war in Gaza.

“A ceasefire, the return of hostages and detainees, the reconstruction of Gaza, and the start of a peaceful political process leading to the establishment and recognition of a Palestinian state mean that we are on the right path toward lasting peace and solid stability,” he said.

He underscored importance of preserving the U.S.-crafted “peace system” in the Middle East since the 1970s, which he said “served as a strategic framework for regional stability.”

El-Sisi made the remarks in a televised address commemorating the anniversary of the Oct. 6, 1973, war with Israel that led to Egypt reclaiming the Sinai Peninsula, where Sharm el-Sheikh is located.

A wish for babies born on the day the war started

Palestinians in Gaza hope that babies born on the day the Israel-Hamas war began will be able to celebrate their second birthday to the sound of laughter and cheers instead of the cacophony of bombs, missiles and bullets.

Rola Saqer said the two years since giving birth to her daughter Masa have been full of suffering and misery.

Saqer said she was scared for Maza, who is weak and malnourished. Saqer and her husband, Mohammed Zaqout, live in a sparsely furnished tent in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

It’s much the same for Amal al-Taweel and her husband, Mostafa, who had their son Ali after three years of trying for a child. Now living in a tent inside an alley, Amal said Ali is being deprived of proper sanitation, food, vaccinations and even toys.