Trump says Israel has agreed to 60-day Gaza cease-fire
July 1 (UPI) -- Israel has agreed to the "necessary conditions" for a 60-day cease-fire in order to negotiate an end to the war in Gaza, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night.
The president revealed, in a post on Truth Social, that his administration had just wrapped up a long meeting.
"My representatives had a long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza. Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60-day cease-fire, during which time we will work with all parties to end the war," Trump said.
"The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring peace, will deliver this final proposal," the president said. "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this deal, because it will not get better -- it will only get worse."
While Trump said the Israelis had agreed to a cease-fire, it was not clear whether Hamas would accept the terms. Israel has not responded or issued its own statement.
The announcement comes one week before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Washington, D.C., where he will meet with Trump at the White House. The two leaders are expected to discuss Gaza and Iran, which struck a separate cease-fire deal with Israel last week following a 12-day campaign that included U.S. airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
The last time Netanyahu met with Trump was in April, when the two leaders discussed trade barriers and before that, in February, after Israel and Hamas signed a cease-fire and hostage release deal one day before Trump took office.
January's three-part plan failed to make it past the first stage. In April, Hamas rejected another Gaza cease-fire, proposed by Israel.
"We will not accept partial deals that serve Netanyahu's political agenda. Netanyahu and his government use partial agreements as a cover for their political agenda, which is based on continuing the war of extermination and starvation, even if the price is sacrificing all his prisoners," Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said earlier this year.
In Trump's cease-fire announcement on Tuesday, he did not release any details or conditions. Hamas and Israel confirmed in May that talks to end the war in Gaza and release hostages had resumed.
Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed and hundreds of others were taken hostage. Some 50 Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza with less than half of them believed to be alive. The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 56,000 people have been killed since the war began.
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