President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, departed Washington for Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 7th, 2025, to finalize a deal for the release of all hostages and an end to the war in Gaza. Senior U.S. officials expressed cautious optimism about reaching an agreement this week, emphasizing that the envoys will not return without a deal, according to sources with knowledge of the discussions. This development follows a meeting on Tuesday, October 7th, where President Trump and his national security team reviewed the progress of the negotiations. A senior U.S. official stated that while military pressure was critical in making Hamas more pragmatic, "now Bibi must understand that the time for a deal has come," indicating a push for immediate resolution. Negotiations are converging in Egypt with Arab, Turkish, and U.S. representatives aiming to finalize a deal. Iran has also expressed support for Trump's Gaza peace plan, a shift from initial silence and criticism from its media, as reported by Amwaj.media. Meanwhile, Hamas insists on a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza simultaneously with the last captives' release. In a separate development, environmental activist Greta Thunberg and other activists detained by Israel while attempting to reach Gaza landed at Arlanda Airport near Stockholm on Tuesday afternoon. Thunberg stated that a press conference would be held later. Minister Drummer is scheduled to join the negotiating calls in Egypt tomorrow. An Israeli Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft carrying senior Israeli intelligence officials for the Gaza ceasefire talks had previously flown from Tel Aviv to Sharm El Sheikh on October 6th, 2025. Pro-Palestine group Intifada 87 has had Public Order Act conditions imposed on their planned protest in London.
