Netanyahu Sets Condition for His Negotiating Team, and the White House is More Optimistic

SadaNews Translation - The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported this evening, Monday, that Israel has allocated several days for negotiations that began this evening in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

According to the site, as translated by SadaNews, if no progress is made, significant fighting is expected to resume after limited offensive operations have stopped at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the negotiating team not to allow Hamas to deviate from Trump's plan and the attached withdrawal map, nor to allow it to raise any issues in the plan, assuming that Israel agrees to it from its side, the site reported.

The negotiations that began today are centered around coordinating technical issues, and they are in their early stages.

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will join the talks in Sharm El Sheikh next Wednesday, and they will make strenuous efforts to reach an agreement.

Israeli Minister Ron Dermer, head of the negotiating team, will also participate in these talks.

Until their arrival, Witkoff and Kushner will try to bridge the differences as much as possible, the Hebrew site noted.

It indicated that there is cautious optimism in Israel, which recognizes the exceptional determination of the Americans and the mediators, but it is uncertain what this means for Hamas, which may become clearer in negotiations within hours.

The Israeli negotiating team that arrived in Sharm El Sheikh this afternoon includes the Deputy Head of the General Security Service (Shabak), the Coordinator of Prisoners and Missing Persons Gal Hirsch, Major General (Res.) Nitzan Alon, the political advisor to the Prime Minister Ofer Falk, and representatives from the Mossad and the Israeli army, including the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories Ghassan Aliyan.

Meanwhile, Channel 13 reported that senior Israeli officials stated that Israel will have several days to reach an agreement.

These sources confirmed, as translated by SadaNews, that if no progress occurs in the coming days, it is unlikely that negotiations will continue.

In this regard, the White House spokesperson mentioned this evening that the talks taking place in Egypt are of a technical nature, involving Witkoff and Kushner and the relevant parties regarding the Gaza plan.

She highlighted that all parties agree on the necessity of ending the war in Gaza.

She said: We want to move to the second phase of Trump's plan after the release of the hostages.

She pointed out that the U.S. administration is making strenuous efforts to advance matters regarding Gaza as quickly as possible.