Israel and Hamas hold indirect talks on eve of second anniversary of Oct. 7 attack; AP explains

(6 Oct 2025) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++ ++STARTS AND ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++ Tel Aviv, Israel - 6 October 2025 ASSOCIATED PRESS 1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sam Mednick, The Associated Press: After two years of devastating war in Gaza, there is some hope of a breakthrough. Israel and Hamas are in Egypt meeting with mediators to discuss US President Donald Trump's plan. But there are still a lot of questions and uncertainty, and there is no clear way out. While Israel has clobbered its enemies in the Middle East, it hasn't achieved its war goals in Gaza." ++BLACK FRAMES++ 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sam Mednick, The Associated Press: "Hamas has been weakened, but it's not defeated and there are still hostages that remain there. Hamas has said that it is willing to release the hostages, but it hasn't addressed the issue of disarmament, something that Israel has demanded. Hamas still has influence in dwindled areas of Gaza that are flattened and largely depopulated. And while Israel has had victories, it has come at a huge cost. The country is largely isolated on the global stage, more than it's been in recent years. Rights groups and experts have accused it of committing genocide, something that Israel largely rejects. " ++BLACK FRAMES++ 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sam Mednick, The Associated Press: "One of Hamas's goals in attacking on October 7th was to bring the plight of the Palestinians back to the global stage, and it has achieved that. Some Western countries have recognised a Palestinian state. But the practicality on the ground is that Israel is taking more of that land that would be part of that state, making it extremely hard for that to become a reality. After two years of war tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. 90% of the population has been displaced, some multiple times, and Israel controls 75% of the territory. And it's unclear how Gaza will rebuild ." ++ENDS++ STORYLINE: Israeli and Hamas officials are holding indirect talks in an Egyptian coastal resort on Monday on a US-drafted peace plan to end the war in Gaza on the eve of its second anniversary. The talks focus on the ceasefire's first stage, including the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces as well as the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, according to a Hamas statement. US 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 media outlet Al-Ahram reported. Many uncertainties remain about some elements of the plan including the disarmament of Hamas and the future governance of Gaza. Israel is still pounding Gaza with deadly airstrikes despite Trump’s order to stop. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll in the war reached 67,160 on Monday. =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...