CAIRO/UNITED NATIONS - Indirect talks between Israeli and Hamas delegations commenced Monday in Egypt to discuss a framework for the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV reported.

The talks, hosted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators in the Red Sea city of Sharm El Sheikh, are focused on "preparing the ground" for the potential swap, according to the news channel.

With the priority to focus on and expand "common ground points" between Israel and Hamas, the mediators are actively working with both sides to "establish a mechanism for the release of all detainees in exchange for prisoners," it reported.

On Saturday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the Israel-Hamas indirect talks on Monday would discuss "field conditions and details" for the exchange of "all Israeli detainees and Palestinian prisoners" under the US-proposed 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan.

On Sunday, Egyptian sources told Xinhua the Hamas delegation arrived in Egypt to prepare for negotiations with the Egyptian side on Monday in Sharm El Sheikh, during which the two sides would discuss implementing the first phase of the US-proposed plan.

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After the Hamas meeting, the Egyptian side would hold a separate one with the Israeli delegation. The results from both negotiations would be delivered to US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner upon their arrival in Egypt, the sources added.

Earlier on Sunday, an Egyptian security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Israeli delegation had arrived in Egypt, with US mediators expected on Tuesday or Wednesday. Negotiations are scheduled to last three days.

According to Palestinian sources, the Hamas delegation is led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya, who traveled to Egypt for the first time since surviving an assassination attempt in Qatar's Doha last month to join indirect talks with Israel.

The indirect talks follow Hamas's recent announcement that it would release all Israeli hostages taken since Oct 7, 2023, under the US plan. According to Israeli officials, Hamas still holds 48 hostages, including 20 believed to be alive. But Hamas has not addressed other provisions, notably disarmament, which Israel insists is essential for any truce.

Meanwhile, there has been a reduction in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, though deadly shelling and gunfire continue, UN humanitarians said Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Gaza's health authorities reported 21 deaths and 96 wounded on Sunday.

Humanitarian access and movement across Gaza remain challenging. Eight missions that required coordination with the Israeli authorities were facilitated, including the installation of a solar panel in Deir al-Balah, as well as the collection of fuel, food and health supplies from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem border crossing. Six other missions were denied, and five were canceled, said OCHA.

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Despite the continuing violence, limited supplies and restricted aid access, humanitarians continue to do whatever they can to meet people's urgent needs across the Gaza Strip, it said.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher allocated $9 million from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund to ensure fuel supplies to keep life-saving services running in the Gaza Strip.

On Saturday, humanitarian partners prepared and distributed 885,000 meals through 167 kitchens across Gaza. However, only 12 kitchens are operating in the north. Aid workers are doing everything possible to serve large numbers of people moving from the north to the south.

OCHA said that sites for displaced people in the south are overcrowded, forcing some families to stay at garbage dumping sites such as Al Amal, where approximately 70 tents have been set up over the past few days. Others are attempting to return to the north, despite Gaza City being declared a dangerous combat zone.

The office said it is ready to deliver large-scale aid as soon as conditions permit.

"We've been ready, and the machinery is cranked up and ready to go as soon as we get the green light," Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said of the Gaza relief pipeline that runs through Cyprus and the port of Ashdod. "There are thousands of metric tonnes in the pipeline of goods ready to enter (Gaza) ... As soon as the crossings become open, we're ready to move those trucks."