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Trump urges Israel and Hamas to reach accord in Gaza conflict
Trump has urged Israel and Hamas to put an end to the conflict in Gaza on several occasions. An eight-week truce was established earlier this year, shortly before Trump took office, but since then, efforts to move the parties towards a new deal have not succeeded. read more
People take part in a protest demanding the end of the war and immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Tel Aviv, Israel. AP
As Israel and Hamas seemed to be getting closer to an accord, US President Donald Trump appealed on Sunday for progress in ceasefire negotiations in the battle in Gaza, demanding a settlement that would put an end to the fighting in the 20-month-long conflict.
According to an Israeli official, Cabinet Minister Ron Dermer, a senior advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was scheduled to visit Washington this week for ceasefire negotiations.
According to the official, preparations are also underway for Netanyahu to visit Washington in the upcoming weeks, which might indicate that a new agreement is being worked up. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss arrangements that were still in the planning stages and declined to reveal the visit's topic.
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'MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!' Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social early Sunday between posts about a Senate vote on his tax and spending cuts bill.
Trump raised expectations Friday for a deal, saying there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters, he said, 'We're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.'
Trump has urged Israel and Hamas to put an end to the conflict in Gaza on several occasions. An eight-week truce was established earlier this year, shortly before Trump took office, but since then, efforts to move the parties towards a new deal have not succeeded.
Trump post slams Netanyahu corruption trial
The Gaza message wasn't the only Middle East-related post by Trump. On Saturday evening, he doubled down on his criticism of the legal proceedings against Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption, calling it 'a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure.'
In the post on Truth Social, he said the trial interfered with talks on a Gaza ceasefire.
'(Netanyahu) is right now in the process of negotiating a Deal with Hamas, which will include getting the Hostages back. How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING,' Trump wrote.
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The post echoed similar remarks Trump made last week when he called for the trial to be cancelled. It was a dramatic interference by an international ally in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state. And it unnerved many in Israel, despite Trump's popularity in the country.
The trial has repeatedly been postponed at the request of Netanyahu, citing security and diplomatic developments. On Sunday, the court agreed to call off two more days of testimony by Netanyahu scheduled this week.
A sticking point over how the war ends
Talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over one major sticking point, whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire agreement.
Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi accused Netanyahu of stalling progress on a deal, saying in remarks on the Telegram messaging app that the Israeli leader insists on a temporary agreement that would free just 10 of the hostages.
Netanyahu spokesperson Omer Dostri said 'Hamas was the only obstacle to ending the war,' without addressing Merdawi's claim.
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Hamas says it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and an end to the war. Israel rejects that offer, saying it will agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something the group refuses.
The war in Gaza began with Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas in which militants killed 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostage, about 50 of whom remain captive with less than half believed to be alive.
Gaza's Health Ministry on Sunday said an additional 88 people were killed by Israeli fire over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 56,500 in over 20 months of fighting. The ministry, part of the Hamas government, does not distinguish between militants and civilians in their count but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
The war has set off a humanitarian catastrophe, displaced most of Gaza's population, often multiple times, and obliterated much of the territory's urban landscape.
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Israeli military orders new evacuations in northern Gaza
The Israeli military on Sunday ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians in large swaths of northern Gaza, an early target of the war that has been severely damaged by multiple rounds of fighting.
Col. Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, posted the order on social media. It includes multiple neighbourhoods in eastern and northern Gaza City, as well as the Jabaliya refugee camp.
The military will expand its escalating attacks to the city's northern section, calling for people to move southward to the Muwasi area in southern Gaza, Adraee said.
After being all but emptied earlier in the war, hundreds of thousands of people are in northern Gaza following their return during a ceasefire earlier this year.
An Israeli military offensive currently underway aims to move Palestinians to southern Gaza so forces can more freely operate to combat militants. Rights groups say their movement would amount to forcible displacement.
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