Egypt pushing to host hostage talks, but Israel holding off for now

Egypt is seeking to host delegations from Israel and Hamas in Sharm el-Sheikh to advance long-stalled negotiations on a hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza, an Arab diplomat and a second source familiar with the matter tell The Times of Israel.

Egypt has proposed hosting the meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, as it wouldn’t require Israeli officials to fly there, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.

But the two sources say Israel is holding off on sending a delegation in order to wait and see how the war with Iran develops, hoping that a further weakened Tehran will lead to a softening of the positions of its Hamas proxy.

The Arab diplomat cautioned against the approach, asserting that Hamas hasn’t budged from its demand for an end to the war, despite repeated predictions from Israeli officials that various shifts in regional dynamics would lead the terror group to capitulate.

The two sources say that the US has yet to join Egypt in urging Israel to send a delegation to Sharm el-Sheikh, accepting Jerusalem’s desire to see how the conflict with Iran plays out in the coming days.

Egypt is hoping to use Sharm el-Sheikh as a platform for proximity talks on remaining disagreements in negotiations, including the flow of humanitarian aid, the redeployment of Israeli troops and the transition from a temporary ceasefire to a permanent one, the source familiar with the matter says.