Image source, EPA

Indirect talks are under way between Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams in Egypt, with the US ramping up pressure on both sides to agree a peace deal.

Mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar are in Sharm El-Sheikh attempting to broker an agreement. US President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he was asking those involved to "move fast", and claimed the two sides will be working through the "final details".

Israel has agreed to the US's 20-point peace plan, and Hamas has accepted some - but not all - parts. It's the closest the two sides have come to a deal, but major sticking points remain, our reporter in Jerusalem Tom Bennett writes.

The indirect negotiations are expected to continue tomorrow, which will also mark two years since the 7 October attacks.

Also today, Israel deported a further 171 activists - including Greta Thunberg - that had attempted to bring aid to Gaza by sea.

• We're ending our live coverage now. You can find the latest on the talks in Egypt here, and a full write-up of the flotilla activist deportations here

Questions remain over possible release of Palestinian prisonerspublished at 18:45 BST 6 October

18:45 BST 6 October

Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Jerusalem

One part of the talks will see negotiators draw up a list of Palestinian prisoners that will be released.

According to the plan, 250 life sentence prisoners will be on the list.

Agreeing on the names will be quite difficult because Israel sees them as a serious security threat. They are at the top of the list for Hamas because they are seen as part of the Palestinian resistance movement.

The big question is whether they will be able to agree something that can be executed this week, as President Trump has requested.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Reuters

At the White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt just confirmed that "technical talks" are currently taking place in Egypt, although she declines to comment on how long those might last.

"The president wants to see a ceasefire, he wants to see hostages released," she says. "Those talks are underway."

"I don't want to get draw a red line [on timing]," she adds.

Today's briefing is the first since Hamas agreed to release the remaining hostages while talks and next steps take place.

In her remarks, Leavitt says it's was "truly remarkable" that Israel, Hamas and other countries agreed to the 20-point framework unveiled last week.

She also declines to comment on the circumstances under which the US might potentially recognise a Palestinian state.

The Israeli ambassador to the US says his country is "full of hope" that the indirect talks under way between Israel and Hamas will help bring the remaining hostages home - and pave a way to peace.

Yechiel Leiter tells the BBC's international correspondent Lyse Doucet: "We're hopeful at least the first phase" of Donald Trump's proposed peace deal will be implemented.

• As a reminder, the first phase would see the remaining 48 hostages - 20 of whom are believed to still be alive - released and IDF troops withdraw from the Gaza Strip

Leiter, whose son Moshe was killed in action in November 2023, adds that a critical achievement for Israel will be to secure a future for the territory without Hamas.

"The only way Palestinians are going to be free is if there's no tyrannical regime such as Hamas reigning over Gaza," he says.

A Palestinian-American businessman who is currently dealing face-to-face with senior Hamas officials in Qatar says Hamas may be willing to give more concessions.

Bishara Bahbah, the founder of Arab Americans for Trump, tells the BBC World Service's Newshour he had confirmed on Saturday that 20 of the hostages are still alive – and the terms of their release will depend on this week’s talks between Hamas and Israel.

However, he echoes the BBC’s Barbara Platt Usher in saying the return of the remains of 28 other hostages might be more complicated.

“Some of the bodies, they do not know where they are, because those who buried them have actually been killed,” Bahbah says. “So they don't know - they would have to search for them.”

On disarmament, the businessman says Hamas might agree to give up heavier weapons but would likely argue to be allowed to keep personal ones out of concern “of Israeli assassination attempts or attempts by thieves or murderers or anything to come after them”.

• For context: Earlier this year, Bahbah acted as a messenger between the Trump administration and Hamas in helping to free hostage Eden Alexander from captivity in Gaza

Israelis increasingly urging PM Netanyahu to strike dealpublished at 17:42 BST 6 October

17:42 BST 6 October

Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, Reuters

Polls now consistently show that around 70% of Israelis really want this war to end in exchange for the release of the hostages.

They have become very vocal about it, especially the families of the hostages - organising rallies, issuing press releases, urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take this chance to bring their loved ones home.

They have even today sent an urgent letter to the committee of the Nobel Peace Prize urging them to give a prize to President Trump for what he’s been doing. The prize winner will be announced at the end of the week.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas negotiators have begun in Sharm El-Sheikh.

As we reported earlier, Egyptian and Qatari officials are expected to hold shuttle meetings with both parties aimed at securing an agreement on implementing Trump's proposed peace plan for Gaza.

Return of hostages’ remains could take longer than 72 hourspublished at 17:21 BST 6 October

17:21 BST 6 October

Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Jerusalem

This week’s negotiations will focus on the first phase of the Trump peace plan, which is to agree on the details of how to release the remaining Israeli hostages and exchange them for Palestinian prisoners.

A lot of it is logistical. So, when and where they will be handed over, and how the Red Cross will be involved. President Trump has said he wants this to happen very quickly.

It seems the living hostages – it’s believed there are 20 of them – will be able to be handed over quite quickly. The deceased will take much longer because Hamas doesn’t know where all of the bodies are given the Israeli military offensive, the destruction and the rubble. That will take longer than the prescribed 72 hours.

Hamas will apparently be requesting heavy equipment and bulldozers to try to dig through the rubble and find the bodies.

Addressing supporters in Athens International Airport - where she just arrived after being deported from Israel, alongside 170 other activists - Greta Thunberg says "a genocide" is taking place in Gaza.

She says it's now time to apply "real pressure" and end "complicity", accusing international governments of failing to do "the bare minimum" to end the killing in Gaza.

"Systems are failing," she says, adding that the goal of the Gaza-bound flotilla - intercepted by Israeli forces last week - was to step up where governments had failed.

"The mission should not have had to exist."

Israel's foreign ministry previously called the flotilla a "PR stunt" and accused its members of spreading "lies".

Nikos Papanikolaou
BBC News

Greta Thunberg is greeted in Athens with applause and chants from hundreds of supporters gathered at the airport.

Many shout slogans in solidarity with Palestine and hold flowers and Palestinian flags as they welcome the returning activists.

Image source, Reuters

Greta Thunberg has just arrived in Greece after being deported from Israel alongside other activists.

They were part of a larger group detained last week after trying to bring aid to Gaza by sea - some members of the flotilla had already been deported and some are reportedly still being held by Israel.

Thunberg and other activists have been met by a crowd of pro-Palestinian supporters at Athens International Airport, many of whom are waving Palestinian flags.

It's a little after 18:30 in Sharm El-Sheikh (16:30 BST), where delegations for Hamas and Israel are expected to start indirect negotiations in the coming hours.

If you're only just joining us, here's a recap of where things stand:

• Hamas and Israeli negotiators have arrived in Sharm El-Sheikh ahead of indirect talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza, after nearly two years of war

• Egyptian and Qatari officials will hold shuttle meetings with both parties to help reach an agreement on the implementation of the first phase of Donald Trump's peace plan for the territory
• This includes "creating the field conditions" for the possible release of all Israeli hostages in return for a number of Palestinian prisoners
• Hamas last week said it agreed to the proposals in part, but did not respond to several key demands, including its disarmament

Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent

A delegation from Hamas has arrived in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh as part of a new round of indirect negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

Palestinian and Egyptian officials told the BBC that the sessions are focused on “creating the field conditions” for a possible exchange that would see the release of all Israeli hostages in return for a number of Palestinian prisoners.

Egyptian and Qatari officials are holding shuttle meetings with both parties to set up a mechanism for implementing the first phase of the deal, as Israeli bombardment continues in several parts of the Gaza Strip.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Jerusalem

With indirect Hamas-Israel talks due to begin in Egypt today, I’ve been hearing from people in Gaza about their reactions to Donald Trump’s peace plan.

Mousa Aabed told me over WhatsApp from central Gaza over the weekend that “most people desperately long for peace” and to “be able to live with dignity and stability once again”.

“After years of suffering, displacement, and loss, many are desperate for an end to the ongoing war,” he said.

But, he added, people in Gaza are “afraid to celebrate” because they “don’t want to be disappointed like every time before.”

“The majority have no trust that this war will actually end. People have lost faith in everyone,” he wrote.

Mousa said his wish for any peace plan was that it would “bring real improvement to the lives of our people”.

Image source, EPA

A woman in Gaza with a scholarship to study in the UK has described the "utter desperation" of living inside the territory.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World at One programme from Deir al-Balah, near Gaza City, Hanya Aljamal says: "It's really hard to find language at this point, because you would think that you've seen all the desperation... and then somehow it manages to get worse."

She says an impromptu refugee camp has been set up on land outside her home. "Literally every spot of land has a tent set up on it," she says.

Talking about the availability of food to buy, she says: "You have to pay top dollars for canned food and food that lacks nutritious value... you can't find enough baby formula, or you can't find meat or chicken or eggs... 80-90% can't purchase most of this stuff in the market."

Hanya says there is a delay with her visa to get her to the UK so she can take up her Human Rights course at Goldsmith's University In London, where classes started on Monday. "Yesterday I cried for the first time in a while, I'm extremely frustrated."

The university says in a statement that it continues to work with partners to ensure all who are eligible are supported to get to the UK.

Israeli media outlets are reporting the country's delegation has arrived in Sharm El-Sheikh, where indirect talks with Hamas are expected to begin later today.

As we reported a little earlier, Hamas negotiators are not scheduled to travel to the resort city in the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula until 18:00 local time (16:00 BST).

Is Trump in line for the Nobel Peace Prize?published at 15:03 BST 6 October

15:03 BST 6 October

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Most of my days are spent at the White House, and listening to Donald Trump.

These days - much more often than not - he mentions having "ended" seven wars, not including what he hopes will soon be the eighth: Gaza.

Trump and his administration insist that this should earn him the Nobel Peace Prize, a sentiment that's been echoed by some world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Whether or not he has actually ended seven wars, however, is up for some debate. In some cases, ceasefires were short lived. In other cases, it's not at all clear that peace deals will last.

Despite his administration's insistence, Trump is extremely unlikely to get the prize this year. Several members of the Nobel committee have been critical of Trump and his broader policies, making him a long shot over 338 nominees this year.

Perhaps more important, the nomination deadline for this year's award was January - meaning that any nominations received since returning to the White House would likely not be considered until next year's award.

Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent

The Hamas delegation is expected to fly from Egypt's capital, Cairo, to Sharm El-Sheikh at 18:00 local time (16:00 BST), where indirect negotiations with Israel are set to start today.

Tom Bennett
Reporting from Jerusalem

As we've been reporting, indirect talks between Israel and Hamas are set to begin today in Egypt. It is the closest both sides have come to a deal since the war began.

But Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan - which Israel has agreed to and Hamas has partly accepted - is really just a framework, only a few pages long.

And there are still major sticking points for both sides to resolve:

• Hostage release structure. Hamas has agreed to the hostage exchange detailed in Trump's plan, providing certain "field conditions" are met. But the hostages are the group's only bargaining chip - and it's unclear whether it would be willing to release them before other elements of the deal are finalised
• Hamas disarmament. Netanyahu has repeatedly stated he will not stop until the group is finished, and a key point in Trump's plan requires the group to disarm. But Hamas made no mention of disarmament in its response to the plan - fuelling speculation that it has not changed its position
• Future governance of Gaza. The plan states Gaza would be governed by a temporary transitional body of Palestinian technocrats involving international leaders, and then eventually be handed over to the Palestinian Authority (PA). But Netanyahu has pushed back on involvement of the PA, insisting it would play no role in governance
• Israeli withdrawal. The wording in the White House's proposed plan for withdrawal, illustrated in three stages, is vague and gives no clear timeline for full Israeli withdrawal. Hamas will likely want to clarify this

Read more on the key sticking points for the forthcoming Gaza peace talks.

Last week, hundreds of activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, were detained by Israeli forces after a flotilla carrying aid bound for Gaza was intercepted.

Israeli authorities arrested about 470 people as dozens of vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) were stopped by Israeli forces from reaching Gaza. Israel has deported several of them since the arrests.

Monday: Israel deports Greta Thunberg and 170 other activists. Those deported are citizens of Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Serbia, and the United States.

Last Sunday: Israel deports 29 people from Israel to Spain, they are Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch.

Last Saturday: Israel deports 137 detainees to Turkey. Among those deported were citizens of the US, Italy, UK, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Algeria, Mauritania, Malaysia, Bahrain, Morocco, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Turkey.

Last Friday: Israel deports four Italian citizens.

The first boats carrying aid for Palestinians, as well as the activists, were stopped about 70 nautical miles off the Gaza coast in international waters and others closer. Israel has been policing this area but does not have jurisdiction there.

Israel said its navy told the boats to change course as they were "approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade", while the GSF described the interceptions as "illegal".

The group said Israel's response was "not an act of defence", but "a brazen act of desperation".