&w=3840&q=100)
Trump hopeful Gaza ceasefire deal can be 'straighten out' within a week
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he hopes the ongoing talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will be resolved soon, adding that the issue could be 'straightened out' within a week. Speaking to reporters, he said, 'We are talking and hopefully we're going to get that straightened out over the next week.'
The United States has backed a plan for a 60-day ceasefire that would involve the gradual release of hostages, a pullback of Israeli troops from parts of Gaza, and further negotiations aimed at fully ending the conflict.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, also expressed optimism about the talks. Witkoff told reporters in Teterboro, New Jersey, that he plans to meet senior officials from Qatar during the FIFA Club World Cup final.
However, negotiations have been moving slowly due to disagreements between Israel and Hamas, particularly over how many Israeli forces should withdraw from Gaza.
An Israeli official said discussions are continuing but blamed Hamas for being 'stubborn' and unwilling to accept terms that could lead to a deal. Meanwhile, Hamas has accused Israel of making unreasonable demands.
According to Reuters, Hamas has rejected Israeli proposals that would keep around 40% of Gaza under Israeli control, including the southern city of Rafah and some areas in the north and east. Hamas wants Israel to return to the positions set under a previous ceasefire agreement before fighting escalated in March.
Hamas insists it will only release the remaining hostages if there's a firm agreement to end the war. Israel, on the other hand, says fighting will not stop until all hostages are freed and Hamas is dismantled both as a military force and as a governing authority in Gaza.
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages into Gaza. Of those hostages, about 50 remain in captivity, with at least 20 believed to still be alive.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Since then, Israeli military operations have killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza. The fighting has displaced nearly all of Gaza's population of over 2 million people, creating a severe humanitarian crisis.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
LIVE on air: Israel bombs Syrian military HQ; reporter runs for cover!
Israel launched air attacks on the Syrian ministry of defence in Damascus on Wednesday, claiming to be intervening in support of a minority group after days of deadly clashes in the south of the country. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz shared a video showing the moment a Syrian journalist cowered in fear as Israeli strikes rocked the building behind her. Al Jazeera footage from another angle showed huge plumes of smoke billowing into the air as a reporter scrambled for cover. Show more Show less
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
26 minutes ago
- First Post
Trump expected to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell soon after lawmakers' support
In an unprecedented move that is bound to rattle investors and sow fundamental questions about the independence of monetary policymaking, US President Donald Trump is expected to soon fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. read more In an unprecedented decision that will kill the independent monetary policy of the United States, President Donald Trump is expected to soon fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and replace him with a puppet who would cut interest rates to his liking. Multiple media reports said that Trump has asked Republican lawmakers whether he should fire Powell and indicated to them he wanted to fire him. The New York Times reported that Trump showed a group of Republican lawmakers a draft of a letter firing Powell and asked them if he should go ahead with it. Sources said that he indicated in the meeting that he wanted to go ahead with firing Powell. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Separately, Bloomberg reported a White House official as saying that Trump is likely to fire Powell soon and discussed the matter with Republican lawmakers. For months, Trump has been trashing Powell for not cutting interest rates to his liking. On his part, Powell has insisted that the Fed would cut the interest rate at an appropriate time on the basis of economic metrics and would not follow political directives. Any decision to fire Trump will likely disrupt the markets and shake faith in the US economy. In its history of more than a century, no Chair of the Federal Reserve has been fired by any president. The independence of the Federal Reserve in setting the monetary policy of the country irrespective of the prevailing political environment is the bedrock of the central bank. Undoing the independence could disrupt the markets and set the stage for disastrous monetary policy that prioritises the president's whims and fancies and not economic prudence. The Bloomberg reported that Republican lawmakers with whom Trump discussed the matter supported his move to fire Powell. Under the law, the president may only fire the Federal Reserve Chair for 'cause'. While the law does not define what cause means, legal precedent states that cause compromises inefficiency, negligence of duty, and malfeasance in office, and states that policy disagreements is not a cause for firing. Even though Trump's cause is clearly policy disagreement, he could announce the firing of Powell anyway. He would be confident that any legal challenge to the firing would be dismissed by the conservative majority of the Supreme Court that he has in his pocket. Trump himself appointed three of the Supreme Court judges in his first term who have almost always done his bidding on the bench. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Mint
26 minutes ago
- Mint
Trump admin calls for calm as Israel strikes Syria amid Druze–Bedouin clashes: ‘We're very concerned about it'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed deep concern on Wednesday (July 16) over escalating violence in southern Syria, following a second consecutive day of Israeli airstrikes targeting Syrian government forces near the Israeli frontier. 'We're very concerned about it,' Rubio told reporters in Washington. 'We want it to stop. We're talking to both sides, all relevant sides, on this, and hopefully can bring it to a conclusion.' Tom Barrack, the US special envoy for Syria, said the United States was actively engaging with "all sides to navigate towards calm and integration." The renewed conflict centers around the southwestern Syrian province of Sweida, a predominantly Druze region, where armed clashes erupted earlier this week between Druze militias and government-aligned Bedouin fighters. Israel launched strikes on Syrian tanks and troops, claiming it was acting to prevent harm to the Druze minority and to enforce a demilitarized zone near its border. According to a Reuters journalist on the ground, drones and at least four airstrikes were heard over the predominantly Druze city of Sweida. A damaged tank was seen being towed away, bursts of gunfire echoed through the city, and three bodies were observed lying on the ground. The violence, which erupted on Sunday, has already claimed dozens of lives. Syria's foreign ministry condemned the Israeli strikes, saying it holds Israel "fully responsible" for the attacks and their consequences. The ministry vowed to protect all Syrian citizens, including the Druze. A statement from the Syrian presidency said the country would take legal action against 'anyone proven to have committed violations or abuses, regardless of their rank or position.' Tensions spiked following a video statement from influential Druze religious figure Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, who accused Syrian government troops of breaching a ceasefire agreement. 'We are being subject to a total war of extermination,' al-Hajri said. 'I call on all Druze to confront this barbaric campaign with all means available.' Shortly after, Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra announced a ceasefire and said government troops would only fire in self-defense. He also deployed military police to Sweida to "control military behaviour and hold violators accountable," according to Syria's state news agency SANA. Despite the ceasefire declaration, Reuters reported ongoing shelling and violence in Sweida city, with Syrian army convoys entering neighborhoods and continuing to fire on residential areas. In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel ordered strikes to defend the Druze and enforce a longstanding demilitarization agreement in southern Syria. 'Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherhood alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel,' the statement read. 'We are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them and to ensure the demilitarization of the area adjacent to our border with Syria.' The Israeli military said on Monday it struck several Syrian tanks approaching Sweida to "prevent their arrival to the area" and mitigate potential threats to Israeli territory. The violence marks a major challenge for Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has struggled to establish control since toppling Bashar al-Assad in December. Sharaa has received backing from the Trump administration but continues to face distrust from minority communities, especially after mass killings of Alawites in March. The latest round of clashes between Druze fighters and government-aligned Bedouin militias has displaced thousands, and competing statements from Druze leaders have complicated efforts to stabilize the region. Earlier Tuesday, Druze spiritual leaders issued a statement calling on militants to surrender and cooperate with incoming Syrian troops. However, al-Hajri later claimed the statement was 'imposed' by Damascus and said Syrian forces violated the agreement by continuing to fire on civilians.
