Israel has eased strikes on Gaza as it prepares for peace talks with Hamas and the United States to start on Sunday (Monday AEDT), while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped to secure the release of hostages in the coming days.

In a brief statement at the weekend, Netanyahu said he had sent a delegation to Egypt “to finalise technical details,” adding that “our goal is to contain these negotiations to a timeframe of a few days.”

He spoke after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of the US plan and offered to release all hostages, though it did not yet agree to relinquish its weapons or have no role in postwar governance of Gaza.

US President Donald Trump hailed Hamas’ offer as a breakthrough in his bid to end two years of war.

“I believe they are ready for a lasting PEA

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