Gaza ceasefire is possible within a week, Trump says
President Donald Trump says he believes it is possible a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas militants will be reached within a week.
Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that he believes a ceasefire deal is close.
He said he had been just been talking to some of the people involved in trying to reach a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.
The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Gaza's health ministry says Israel's post-October 7 military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. The assault has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has picked up steam in the wake of the US and Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities. A ceasefire to the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict went into effect early this week.
"I think it's close. I just spoke to some of the people involved," Trump said. "We think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire."
He did not say who he has been talking to, but he has told reporters he was in near-daily contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israel-Iran conflict.
Trump's surprise prediction of a possible ceasefire deal in coming days came at a time when there have been few signs that the warring parties were ready to restart serious negotiations or budge from entrenched positions.
A spokesperson for US special envoy Steve Witkoff's office said they had no information to share beyond Trump's comments.
Witkoff helped former President Joe Biden's aides broker a ceasefire and hostage release agreement shortly before Trump took office in January but the deal soon unravelled.
The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer plans to visit Washington starting on Monday for talks with Trump administration officials about Gaza, Iran and a possible White House visit by Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Netanyahu said on Thursday the outcome of Israel's war with Iran presented opportunities for peace that his country must not waste.
President Donald Trump says he believes it is possible a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas militants will be reached within a week.
Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that he believes a ceasefire deal is close.
He said he had been just been talking to some of the people involved in trying to reach a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.
The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Gaza's health ministry says Israel's post-October 7 military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. The assault has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has picked up steam in the wake of the US and Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities. A ceasefire to the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict went into effect early this week.
"I think it's close. I just spoke to some of the people involved," Trump said. "We think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire."
He did not say who he has been talking to, but he has told reporters he was in near-daily contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israel-Iran conflict.
Trump's surprise prediction of a possible ceasefire deal in coming days came at a time when there have been few signs that the warring parties were ready to restart serious negotiations or budge from entrenched positions.
A spokesperson for US special envoy Steve Witkoff's office said they had no information to share beyond Trump's comments.
Witkoff helped former President Joe Biden's aides broker a ceasefire and hostage release agreement shortly before Trump took office in January but the deal soon unravelled.
The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer plans to visit Washington starting on Monday for talks with Trump administration officials about Gaza, Iran and a possible White House visit by Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Netanyahu said on Thursday the outcome of Israel's war with Iran presented opportunities for peace that his country must not waste.
President Donald Trump says he believes it is possible a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas militants will be reached within a week.
Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that he believes a ceasefire deal is close.
He said he had been just been talking to some of the people involved in trying to reach a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.
The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Gaza's health ministry says Israel's post-October 7 military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. The assault has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has picked up steam in the wake of the US and Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities. A ceasefire to the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict went into effect early this week.
"I think it's close. I just spoke to some of the people involved," Trump said. "We think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire."
He did not say who he has been talking to, but he has told reporters he was in near-daily contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israel-Iran conflict.
Trump's surprise prediction of a possible ceasefire deal in coming days came at a time when there have been few signs that the warring parties were ready to restart serious negotiations or budge from entrenched positions.
A spokesperson for US special envoy Steve Witkoff's office said they had no information to share beyond Trump's comments.
Witkoff helped former President Joe Biden's aides broker a ceasefire and hostage release agreement shortly before Trump took office in January but the deal soon unravelled.
The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer plans to visit Washington starting on Monday for talks with Trump administration officials about Gaza, Iran and a possible White House visit by Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Netanyahu said on Thursday the outcome of Israel's war with Iran presented opportunities for peace that his country must not waste.
President Donald Trump says he believes it is possible a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas militants will be reached within a week.
Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that he believes a ceasefire deal is close.
He said he had been just been talking to some of the people involved in trying to reach a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.
The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Gaza's health ministry says Israel's post-October 7 military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. The assault has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has picked up steam in the wake of the US and Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities. A ceasefire to the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict went into effect early this week.
"I think it's close. I just spoke to some of the people involved," Trump said. "We think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire."
He did not say who he has been talking to, but he has told reporters he was in near-daily contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israel-Iran conflict.
Trump's surprise prediction of a possible ceasefire deal in coming days came at a time when there have been few signs that the warring parties were ready to restart serious negotiations or budge from entrenched positions.
A spokesperson for US special envoy Steve Witkoff's office said they had no information to share beyond Trump's comments.
Witkoff helped former President Joe Biden's aides broker a ceasefire and hostage release agreement shortly before Trump took office in January but the deal soon unravelled.
The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer plans to visit Washington starting on Monday for talks with Trump administration officials about Gaza, Iran and a possible White House visit by Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Netanyahu said on Thursday the outcome of Israel's war with Iran presented opportunities for peace that his country must not waste.
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Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all hostages in exchange for an end to the war, while Netanyahu says he will end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected. Hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza. After blocking all food for two-and-a-half months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May. Palestinians have been shot and wounded while on their way to get food at newly formed aid sites, run by the American and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Gaza's health officials and witnesses. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds heading towards the sites. Israel's military said it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites. 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At least 34 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ceasefire prospects inch closer. The strikes began late on Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people at the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought. Six others were killed in southern Gaza when a strike hit their tent in Muwasi, according to the hospital. The strikes come as US President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office Friday, the president said, "We're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of." Talks have been on again, off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the Strip's dire humanitarian crisis. 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