CAIRO, Oct. 5 -- Negotiators from Israel and Hamas were converging on the Egyptian capital on Sunday for crucial talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war in Gaza, amid growing optimism that a deal to release hostages could be reached within days. The renewed diplomatic push follows Hamas's positive response to US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace roadmap, which lays out a plan for both the release of captives and the post-war administration of Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he had ordered his negotiating team to Egypt to "finalise the technical details" of the agreement. Cairo also announced it would host a Hamas delegation to discuss the conditions on the ground and the exchange mechanism for I...