Latest news with #Israel-Palestine
Middle East Eye
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
'Vindicated': Unscathed by war, Gulf states look to capitalise on Israel and Iran's losses
The Gulf states see two losers in the conflict between Israel and Iran, analysts and Arab officials tell Middle East Eye. Having squeaked through the hostilities with little damage themselves, leaders in the energy-rich Gulf are now in a position to tap their relative advantages in Israel and the Islamic Republic. Watching the smoke rise from Tehran was a change for leaders in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who just a few years ago were fending off drones and missiles launched at them from Iran's allies, the Houthis in Yemen. Israeli warplanes made hay of Iran's weak air defences. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps generals were assassinated, and ballistic missile launchers and arms factories were destroyed. The war culminated in the US bombing Iran's Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities. And that is the aspect that US and Israeli officials are hammering home about the conflict in their interactions, three Arab officials told MEE. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters But for the first time in a generation, Arab rulers got to see how Israel would fare against a conventional army. Israeli encroachment stopped 'The Israelis showed strong spirit in supporting their military…They were brave. However, the home front in Israel couldn't take more than two weeks of missile strikes,' one Arab official told MEE, sharing an assessment of the war review in a leading Arab capital. MEE spoke with officials representing three Arab capitals for this article. All said that in their country's corridors of power, the assessment is that Israel was the first to signal it was ready for a ceasefire after having exhausted its list of military targets and seeing that the Islamic Republic was not facing collapse. 'Benjamin Netanyahu was on a rise until now,' Bader al-Saif, a professor at Kuwait University, told MEE. 'Of course, Israel demonstrated military superiority over Iran's skies. But Iran stopped the Israeli encroachment and hit back. The image of an invincible Israel with flawless air defence is broken.' 'The image of an invincible Israel with flawless air defence is broken' - Bader al-Saif, Kuwait University The perception of Israeli vulnerability is important to understand how the US's Arab allies will approach Israel in the future, experts say. It could give them more leverage with Israel, including states that normalised ties with it in 2020 under the Abraham Accords. The same goes for Tehran, the Arab officials told MEE. They expect Gulf leaders to offer investments to Tehran and are not ruling out high-level visits in the coming months. In April, Saudi Arabia's defence minister and brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Tehran. Despite saying Iran's nuclear programme has been 'blown up to kingdom come', US President Donald Trump says his administration will restart talks with Iran. Iran says its nuclear programme is "badly damaged". Either way, the Gulf states backed the nuclear talks, and their sway in Tehran could increase even more now, Arab officials told MEE. 'The Gulf gets a hearing in Washington. At the end of the day, that remains the tremendous leverage it has with Iran - calling up Trump in the middle of the night and him answering the phone,' one Arab diplomat told MEE. The UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia sealed deals for hundreds of billions of dollars with the US when Trump visited the region in May. At the time, they appeared to get concessions. Under pressure from Saudi Arabia, Trump stopped US attacks on the Houthis in Yemen, MEE revealed. He also lifted sanctions on Syria. 'The Israelis were brave...[but] the home front couldn't take more than two weeks of missile strikes' - Arab official The Gulf states were unable to stop Israel's attack on Iran. For a moment, it looked dicey. Although the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have differing priorities, experts say none of them wanted to see the US directly join Israel's offensive. In the end, all the Arab officials who spoke with MEE characterised the US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities as 'limited" or "minimal". Iran's retaliatory strike on al-Udeid military base in Qatar was coordinated well in advance with Gulf states, MEE reported. 'This crisis has really elevated the Gulf states' leadership,' Ayham Kamel, Middle East president at Edelman Public and Government Affairs, told MEE. 'They were able to play a behind-the-scenes diplomatic role and avoid any significant attack on their territory. They triangulated their cooperation to be inclusive of key states in the broader region, particularly Iran, Turkey and Israel,' he added. Sympathy with Iran? For years, the US tried to recruit Gulf states into an alliance with Israel to counter Iran. When Hezbollah dominated Lebanon, Bashar al-Assad ruled Syria, and the Houthis were lobbing missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia - that pitch was attractive. It reached its peak before the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, when US Central Command tried to create a 'Middle East Nato' linking Israel to Gulf states and Egypt's air defence. But when Israel and Iran came to blows, instead of joining in Israel's offensive, the US's Arab allies lobbied Trump to stop the war. 'Right now, even among the ruling classes, there is more sympathy with Iran than there has been in a long time' - Patrick Theros, former US ambassador Israel and Iran exchanged direct fire twice in 2024. The US did receive some Saudi and Qatari support defending Israel last year. But Iran choreographed its missile barrages then. This round was the first bare-knuckled battle between them, with Israeli jets pounding Tehran and Iran hammering major cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa. Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia all condemned Israel's attack on Iran. Qatar has historically maintained closer ties to the Islamic Republic, in part because they share the world's largest natural gas field. But this conflict saw the UAE and Saudi Arabia publicly and privately press for a ceasefire, two Arab officials told MEE. 'US and Israeli officials may not have anticipated how serious the Gulf is about de-escalation. They know now. Saudi Arabia is on the top of that list,' Patrick Theros, a former US diplomat who served as ambassador to Qatar and a high-ranking official in the UAE, told MEE. 'Right now, even among the ruling classes, including Saudi Arabia, there is more sympathy with Iran than there has been in a long time,' Theros said. Israel and US modified F-35s to enable Iran attack without refuelling, sources say Read More » Not so long ago, Israel may have been able to convince Saudi Arabia to join in its attack. In 2018, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman compared Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Hitler and said he was trying to 'conquer the world'. Then, Saudi Arabia became bogged down fighting Iran's allies in Yemen. In 2019, two major Saudi oil facilities were attacked. At the time, President Trump shrugged off the assault, which emanated from Iran. In the following years, Saudi Arabia moved to patch up ties with the Islamic Republic. In 2023, China brokered a rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran. It worked for everyone during the war. The Strait of Hormuz, which China relies on for its oil shipments, remained open. Iranian oil exports soared despite Israeli attacks, and Saudi Arabia's oil installations were safe again. 'The Gulf isn't where it was at in 2019,' Saif, at Kuwait University, told MEE. "We [the Gulf] feel vindicated that we did not join the war.' Gaza ceasefire and normalisation The Gulf states' main focus is reducing their economies' dependence on oil revenue. Saudi Arabia has pushed through liberalising social reforms and is pursuing an ambitious Vision 2030 agenda that includes luxury Red Sea tourism. Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi want to build AI data centres. One overlooked element of the change, Theros told MEE, is that the sectarian tensions that feed into the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran in spheres of influence like Yemen and Syria have ebbed, as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pursues modernising social reforms. 'Now that Mohammed Bin Salman has de-Wahhabised Saudi Arabia, the rhetoric out of the clerics about the Shia has been curbed,' Theros said. 'That makes it harder for Israel to bring Saudi Arabia along.' If anything, public opinion in the Gulf has turned more negative towards Israel over its war on Gaza, where over 56,000 Palestinians have been killed. A poll released by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy in the first months of the Gaza war revealed 96 percent of people in Saudi Arabia oppose normalisation with Israel. Trump signalled on Wednesday that he wants to build out his fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran to Gaza, where he said 'great progress is being made' to end the war. Ending that conflict is a prerequisite to any talk of normalising ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Under Saudi pressure, Trump refrained from lobbying the kingdom to cut a deal with Israel during his visit to Riyadh in May, but told Saudi Arabia, 'you'll be greatly honouring me' by doing so. Saudi Arabia says it needs to see Israel take irreversible steps towards a Palestinian state to normalise relations. Diplomats say that after the Israel-Iran war, the price Saudi Arabia will demand is going up. 'Saudi Arabia has a very good sense of where the Arab street is going,' one Arab official told MEE. 'It will insist on something serious.'
Middle East Eye
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
US Supreme Court limits judges from blocking Trump order on birthright citizenship
The US Supreme Court has curbed the power of lower court judges to pause executive orders issued by US President Donald Trump, while hearing a case that looks to end the automatic granting of citizenship to people born in the country. In its 6-3 ruling on Friday, which was ideologically divided with liberal judges dissenting against the ruling, the court said nationwide injunctions or pauses issued by district court judges "likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has granted to federal courts". The ruling sets a broader precedent that removes a roadblock standing in the way of Trump's often highly controversial executive orders and has far-reaching ramifications for the judiciary's capacity to rein in executive power. The top court did not rule on the constitutionality of Trump's executive order to end "birthright citizenship", which is automatic citizenship rights for nearly anyone born on US territory. Under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, all children born in the US automatically become US citizens, but the Trump administration is looking to abolish that right. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Trump on Friday called the ruling a 'Giant Win' on Truth Social and organised a White House briefing on Friday to celebrate. He hailed the decision a 'monumental victory for the constitution, the separation of powers, and the rule of law in striking down the excessive use of nationwide injunctions interfering with the normal functions of the executive branch'. Trump accused 'radical left judges' of 'a colossal abuse of power' which he said had only happened in 'recent decades'. 'We've been hit with more nationwide injunctions than were issued in the entire 20th century together,' he said. Federal court judges have been instrumental in blocking many of Trump's executive orders and have been consistently criticised by the president. 'Profoundly dangerous' The Trump administration maintains that 'birthright citizenship was meant for the babies of slaves. It wasn't meant for people trying to scam the system and come into the country'. During a White House briefing on Friday, attorney general Pam Bondi said that the birthright citizenship question will 'most likely' be decided by the Supreme Court in October. In her dissent, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the 'decision is nothing less than an open invitation for the Government to bypass the Constitution. 'Unprecedented crisis': 100 days of human rights under Trump Read More » 'The Executive Branch can now enforce policies that flout settled law and violate countless individuals' constitutional rights, and the federal courts will be hamstrung to stop its actions fully. Until the day that every affected person manages to become party to a lawsuit and secures for himself injunctive relief, the Government may act lawlessly indefinitely.' Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson also expressed deep concern. "The Court's decision to permit the Executive to violate the Constitution with respect to anyone who has not yet sued is an existential threat to the rule of law,' Brown Jackson said. 'The majority's ruling thus not only diverges from first principles, it is also profoundly dangerous, since it gives the Executive the go-ahead to sometimes wield the kind of unchecked, arbitrary power the Founders crafted our Constitution to eradicate'. During the briefing, Trump also added he had 'numerous policies' that he could now proceed with, including 'ending sanctuary city funding, suspending refugee resettlement, freezing unnecessary funding, stopping federal taxpayers from paying for transgender surgeries'. Ramifications Trump signed an executive order on 20 January to end automatic citizenship rights for people born on US territory - commonly known as "birthright citizenship". The highly controversial move was met with a series of lawsuits, which ultimately led to judges in district courts in three states issuing nationwide injunctions that blocked the order from taking effect. Trump's Department of Justice responded by taking the case to the Supreme Court. Therefore, the case was not about birthright citizenship directly, but whether a single federal district court judge has the right to issue a nationwide block to a presidential decree with a universal injunction. Steven Schwinn, a law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, told AFP that the court's ruling "sharply undermines the power of federal courts to rein in lawless actions by the government". "The ruling will likely create a patchwork of birthright citizenship rights," Schwinn told AFP, where it is recognised in some locations for people who have successfully sued and not recognised for people who have not sued. "This patchwork approach to individual rights is inconsistent with our history and tradition of federal rights in the United States and is inconsistent with the rule of law," he said. The Trump administration had asked the Supreme Court to restrict the application of a district court's injunction solely to the parties who brought the case and the district where the judge presides. Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship decrees that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become citizens.
Middle East Eye
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
At least 50 African people at risk of imminent execution in Saudi Arabia
Dozens of people from the Horn of Africa on death row in Saudi Arabia have been told that their executions could take place 'any day', inmates and their relatives told Middle East Eye. The men are all from Ethiopia and Somalia and have been convicted of drug trafficking, which carries a death sentence in Saudi Arabia. Held at the Najiran prison near the border with Yemen, inmates say they were notified several weeks ago that their sentences, typically beheadings, would be carried out soon. 'They have told us to say our goodbyes,' one of the convicted men, who preferred not to be named, told MEE. 'We were told that executions would begin shortly after Eid al-Adha, and now they have started.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters A list of names of the convicted obtained by MEE includes 43 Ethiopians, and 13 Somalis. According to inmates, at least six were put to death over the past month. Rise in executions Amnesty International has documented at least 52 executions for drug-related offenses in the kingdom from January to April. Keen to soften the country's conservative image as part of its Vision 2030 economic reform programme and ahead of hosting of the 2034 Fifa World Cup, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has enacted a whirlwind of reforms liberalising some elements of Saudi society. He has also repeatedly pledged to amend the country's harsh justice system, which lists adultery, apostasy and 'sorcery' as capital offences. Saudi Arabia is among the world's leading executioners. 'All of the Ethiopians and Somali executions we documented this year were linked to hashish possession or smuggling' - Duaa Dhainy, European Saudi Organization for Human Rights However, an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment for drug-related offences enacted in 2021 has been lifted. Executions have subsequently accelerated. Over 300 people were put to death last year, a record tally for the kingdom. This year, 100 executions were documented by May alone. One possible reason for the spike, according to experts, is that additional drugs appear to have been added to the list of those meriting capital punishment. 'We've monitored death-sentence cases of numerous foreign nationals for years, and drug offences are usually linked to substances like amphetamines or cocaine,' Duaa Dhainy, a researcher with the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, told MEE. 'However, we've noticed that from 2024 onwards, many foreigners have been executed for possession of hashish, so they've expanded the offences that can lead to execution. All of the Ethiopians and Somali executions we documented this year were linked to hashish possession or smuggling.' For the family of 27-year-old Khalid Mohammed Ibrahim, the news the executions for drug offences were resuming has plunged them into heartache. Ibrahim's older brother insists his sibling is innocent and said it has been a harrowing seven years for the family since he was arrested. 'He tried to enter the country through Yemen,' Muleta told MEE. 'A border guard encouraged him to tell his jailers that he was a drug smuggler, saying it would get him sent to court and quickly cleared since there was no evidence. He believed them.' Fleeing persecution Muleta said Ibrahim was effectively forced out of his own country. Hailing from the town of Chelenqo in Ethiopia's Oromia region, he was among the students who took part in the Oromo protests of 2016, which eventually culminated in the resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn two years later. Both brothers were among thousands of youths jailed for taking part in the anti-government uprising, Muleta recalled. 'We were told that executions would begin shortly after Eid al-Adha, and now they have started' - prisoner at Najiran jail, Saudi Arabia Expelled from school and unable to apply for university, Ibrahim tried to move on with life, getting married and working as a labourer for a few years. But then his wife became pregnant. 'He wanted to afford a better life for his son, but [the government] closed all opportunities for him,' said Muleta. 'That is why he left Ethiopia.' Ibrahim never lived as a free man in Saudi Arabia, as he was detained immediately upon arrival in 2018. After 11 court appearances, he was sentenced to death in October 2019. He has never had the opportunity to meet his son, who is now eight years old. Dhainy said cases like Ibrahim's typically proceed through the courts to the royal court, Saudi Arabia's highest, where death sentences are signed by the king. 'However, sometimes the documents show that the accused never had a lawyer,' Dhainy said. Trade unions from 36 countries protest against Saudi Arabia's treatment of migrant workers Read More » 'Also, there is no guarantee that the detainee understood the charges, had a translator or was aware of the content of documents, including confessions, that they are sometimes made to sign.' Muleta said his brother told him that torture and beatings are commonplace at Najiran prison. Emotionally drained, the family's torment has been worse in recent weeks. 'It has been hell for my parents,' Muleta adds. 'They are going crazy. We have tried everything, we tried begging officials for help, but no one has done anything.' Several inmates on death row at Najiran also told MEE that their families have spent years pleading for assistance from their government, including Ethiopian diplomats based in Saudi Arabia. The Ethiopian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, which has a documented history of covering up the suffering of Ethiopians caught up in the Saudi judicial system, has been criticised for its inaction on the matter. Middle East Eye has asked Ambassador Muktar Kedir Abdu and the Ethiopian foreign ministry for comment, without response. Somali pressure In Somalia, intense media coverage and campaigning by families of death row inmates has led to the Somali government openly appealing to Saudi authorities for leniency, and greater public awareness of the danger. Hiiraan Online, a Somali news site, has covered the plight of Somalis sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia extensively. 'Our reporting has helped bring national and international attention to the plight of nearly 50 Somalis facing execution in Saudi Arabia - many of them coerced into smuggling under false pretences,' Dalmar Gure, editor-in-chief of Hiiraan Online, told MEE. 'Together with pressure from families, Somali media coverage helped spur diplomatic engagement, including talks on prisoner transfers and appeals for clemency.' The Najiran prison contingent isn't the only large group of Africans on death row in Saudi Arabia. Earlier this month, UN officials raised concerns about the imminent executions of 26 Egyptians held at Tabouk prison in the north on similar drug offences. They condemned the sentences as a 'violation of international law'. Last week, over 30 rights groups, mostly based in the Middle East and Africa, published an open letter calling on the crown prince to commute the death sentences of over a hundred Ethiopians, Egyptians and Somalis.
Middle East Eye
13 hours ago
- General
- Middle East Eye
Successful local efforts to get aid into north Gaza met with Israeli backlash
Successful local Palestinian efforts to organise the entry of aid to northern Gaza have prompted fresh restrictions by the Israeli military and violent looting by criminal gangs. Relief was brought into north Gaza for the first time in a month on Wednesday by local tribes, drawing anger from Israeli officials and members of the Israeli public. Northern Gaza has been under full siege since March, when Israel blocked all aid and goods from entering the territory and created a severe hunger crisis. In late May, the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), a recently launched and scandal-hit aid group, began distributing limited food parcels at four locations in south and central Gaza. The northern parts of the Palestinian enclave remain largely cut off from aid distributed through this mechanism. However, Israel has recently allowed a limited number of aid trucks carrying only wheat flour to enter some areas of the north. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters According to local reports, the recent Palestinian-led relief delivery, backed by local clans, saw several trucks enter safely and successfully, with their contents distributed on Thursday. Footage circulating online show dozens of trucks carrying aid from the United Nations World Food Programme entering the northern Gaza Strip. Others show tribesmen watching over the vehicles, some armed, attempting to shield it from looting by local gangs. However, another batch of essentials was looted on Thursday by gangs. Amjad al-Shawa, who oversees civil society groups in Gaza, said that 50 trucks scheduled to arrive into Gaza City were looted. Shawa said that the gangs, under the protection of the Israeli military, were working to "sow chaos" and divert aid. 'Israel seeks to perpetuate chaos and disorder in Gaza, and does not want the aid distribution process to adhere to humanitarian standards' - Amjad al-Shawa, civil society leader in Gaza "Israel seeks to perpetuate chaos and disorder in Gaza, and does not want the aid distribution process to adhere to humanitarian standards through distribution centers and databases," he said. "Israel seeks to sabotage the humanitarian system in Gaza by preventing the entry of aid through the United Nations and international institutions, replacing it with an American security company, thus creating internal violence among Gaza's citizens." Shawa urged the need to strengthen the role of UN humanitarian organisations and other groups that have "been working in Gaza for decades". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously admitted to arming gangs in Gaza, which have been accused by aid groups of stealing lifesaving humanitarian aid, in a bid to counter Hamas. Netanyahu said earlier this month his government had "activated" powerful local clans in the enclave on the advice of "security officials", hours after former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman alleged a gang Israel was backing was affiliated with the Islamic State group. "We made use of clans in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas… What's wrong with that?' Netanyahu said in a video posted on X. Targeting security and police Meanwhile, Israel has been condemned for attacking Palestinian police and security personnel who were trying to counter looters and criminals in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. "The Israeli occupation persists in its malicious plans and its efforts to spread chaos and destabilise the internal stability in the Gaza Strip by repeatedly targeting police and security personnel, with the aim of discouraging them from fulfilling their duty to protect the home front and confront the armed gangs operating under its command," the Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza said in a statement. "This ongoing Israeli targeting will not achieve its goals. "The police and security services will continue to pursue thieves and those collaborating with the occupation, striking them with an iron fist, and taking all necessary measures to strengthen the steadfastness of citizens and preserve civil peace in the Gaza Strip." Israel has also killed three local police in Asdaa, west of Khan Younis, according to local reports. "The police and security apparatus in the Gaza Strip continues to perform its duty towards our people, despite the systematic targeting it is subjected to by the Israeli occupation through daily bombing and killing. This will not weaken our resolve or break our will," the ministry said. Israeli backlash and police targeting As Palestinian efforts to bring aid into north Gaza succeeded on Wednesday, Netanyahu ordered new restrictions on the region after backlash from prominent political leaders, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Smotrich threatened to leave Netanyahu's coalition following videos of aid trucks entering north Gaza. Netanyahu admits Israel armed Gaza gangs to drive lawlessness Read More » Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed Hamas was taking over aid efforts. The Gaza government disputed the claim, saying Israel was attempting to "legitimise the continued blockade, starvation and the prevention of humanitarian aid from entering for the 118th consecutive day". "We would like to clarify to the public that it was Palestinian families and clans who secured the aid convoys in the northern Gaza Strip, without any interference from the Palestinian government or factions," it stressed. "These cheap lies reveal that the occupation continues to 'engineer chaos' and spread falsehoods to create flimsy justifications for continuing to close the crossings and prevent the entry of aid, in a full-fledged crime against more than 2.4 million starving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip." Israel has previously accused Hamas of stealing aid and said the Israeli blockade on the entry of food is partly aimed at preventing the group from diverting supplies. But Cindy McCain, the executive director of the World Food Programme and widow of late US senator John McCain, rubbished such allegations, saying much of the aid that is being looted is being seized by destitute Palestinians.
Newsweek
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Exclusive: Trump Is Telling Israel 'Time Is Right' for Gaza Deal—Source
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump is seeking to sway Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toward agreeing to a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the truce that put an end to Iran and Israel's 12-day war, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. "An agreement is very possible," the person told Newsweek. "The president is working very hard on convincing the Israelis that the time is right, now that they have finished with the issue of Iran." The person, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, added that Trump was also looking for a lasting end to the conflict, beyond the 60-day truce period outlined in the latest U.S. proposal. "The president is clearly interested not just in a mere 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas," the source said. "He's hoping that those 60 days would lead to a resolution, the release of all the hostages and permanent cease fire that could lead to negotiations over the future of an Israel-Palestine peace agreement." Newsweek has reached out to representatives of Hamas, the Israeli government and the White House for comment. U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C, on April 7, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C, on April 7, 2025. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images Peace After Peace Israel and Hamas have been at war since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched what came to be the deadliest attack in Israel's history. Around 1,100 people, most of them civilians, were killed and an additional 251 taken hostage, around 50 of whom are still believed to be in captivity, according to Israeli officials. The Hamas-led Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza counts more than 56,250 killed throughout the subsequent war in the territory. The conflict has also drawn in Iran and its Axis of Resistance coalition, which intervened in support of Hamas. Israel signed a ceasefire with the Lebanese Hezbollah movement last November and the U.S. signed a truce with Yemen's Ansar Allah, or Houthi, movement last month, though the group continued to strike at Israel. Israel and Iran also exchanged two sets of strikes throughout last year but entered into their most serious confrontation to date on June 12, after Israel launched a widespread series of strikes targeting sites and personnel associated with the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and armed forces. Just three days after entering the war by ordering U.S. strikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities and hours after an Iranian missile attack on a U.S. base in Qatar, Trump declared a ceasefire on Tuesday. The truce appears to have held as of Friday, despite initial violations for which Trump blamed both sides and expressed particular frustration with Israel. Trump has repeatedly hailed the ceasefire as the latest in a string of diplomatic victories, which he counts as including peace deals struck between Serbia and Kosovo, India and Pakistan and a peace deal set to be reached between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Trump is also actively looking to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. But the apparent closure of the Iran-Israel front, at least for the time being, has prompted questions over what comes next for the still-ongoing war in Gaza. Trump came to office vowing to forge a legacy of "peacemaker and unifier" in his effort to "stop all wars." The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is estimated to have established control over three-quarters of the war-torn Palestinian territory, yet Israeli troops continue to clash with Hamas and allied Palestinian factions. Shortly after the Iran-Israel ceasefire was announced by Trump, Israeli Permanent Representative to the United Nations Danny Danon confirmed to reporters Tuesday that Israel hoped to soon achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. The following day, the BBC cited a senior Hamas official as saying that the group had intensified efforts to reach a deal. U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said during a press briefing Thursday that the Trump administration's "focus now is the ceasefire we need to see" in Gaza. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to reporters the same day that Netanyahu has "expressed interest in coming to the White House to meet the president" and that Trump is "very open to that," though no date had been set. Men shout out to others below as smoke billows while first-responders attempt to extinguish a blaze following an Israeli strike at the UNRWA's Osama bin Zaid school in the Saftawi district in western Jabalia in... Men shout out to others below as smoke billows while first-responders attempt to extinguish a blaze following an Israeli strike at the UNRWA's Osama bin Zaid school in the Saftawi district in western Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on June 27, 2025. More BASHAR TALEB/AFP/Getty Images Getting Back to the Table The Trump administration previously oversaw a limited Israel-Hamas ceasefire in January in an agreement first drafted by outgoing President Joe Biden's administration and secured with the help of Trump's incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, just days before inauguration. The first-phase agreement ultimately allowed for the return of 33 hostages in Hamas captivity in exchange for 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The deal unraveled in March, however, as the two sides failed to agree on a framework for follow-up talks and Israel resumed its offensive. Still, negotiations have continued to play out in the Qatari capital of Doha. Last month, after the release of Israeli-U.S. hostage Edan Alexander following direct U.S.-Hamas talks, Newsweek obtained a copy of a new proposal issued by Witkoff. The deal would pause the conflict for 60 days, during which Trump would guarantee Israel's commitment to not launching hostilities. Hamas would release 10 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 deceased hostages in two transfers divided between the first and seventh days of the agreement, while Israel would release 1,236 individuals held in Israeli prisons and 180 bodies. On the 10th day, Israel and Hamas would provide up-to-date information on the condition of those being held by the respective sides. Israel would also halt military and aerial reconnaissance activity over Gaza for 10 hours each day, and up to 12 hours on the days in which hostages and prisoners were exchanged. Israeli troops would conduct a redeployment in the Netzarim Corridor and northern Gaza, and the flow of humanitarian assistance from the United Nations and the Red Crescent would resume through mutually agreed channels. The agreement also calls for the immediate launch of follow-up negotiations toward securing a permanent ceasefire as well as the release of all remaining hostages, living and dead. The deal allows for an extension of the temporary ceasefire if a new agreement is not reached within 60 days. U.S. and Israeli officials have accused Hamas of rejecting the terms of the ceasefire, while the group has said it responded positively, though sought broader guarantees that Israel would not immediately resume the war after the 60-day truce period. Demonstrators block traffic during an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held captive since the October 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas, in Tel Aviv on June 26, 2025. Demonstrators block traffic during an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held captive since the October 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas, in Tel Aviv on June 26, 2025. FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images The Stakes Rise While the Iran-Israel conflict appeared to eclipse attention over the Israel-Hamas war, international pressure has continued to mount on Netanyahu to put an end to the offensive in Gaza. Following a summit held Thursday in Brussels among European Union leaders, the bloc issued a statement saying that "the European Council calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages, leading to a permanent end to hostilities." The EU criticized what it called a "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in Gaza, where Israel once again ordered a partial halting of aid over allegations that Hamas was seizing shipments. Following a previous freezing of virtually all humanitarian assistance to Gaza in March, the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation became the only agency permitted to distribute aid in May. Since then, however, hundreds of Palestinians have been reported killed while trying to seek aid, according to the Hamas-led Gaza Government Media Office. The IDF has also accused Hamas of firing at Palestinians attempting to collect assistance at distribution centers, an allegation denied by the group. Tensions have ramped up in Israel as well in recent days. With citizens once again free to walk the streets after persistent lockdowns due to incoming Iranian missile and drone strikes, protests have resumed in Tel Aviv among hostage families and supporters calling on the government to do more to secure the release of their loved ones still in Hamas captivity. For Netanyahu, legal challenges add to the pressure. The Israeli premier is reportedly due to appear in court Monday as part of an ongoing trial for his 2020 indictment on bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges, all of which he denies. Trump weighed in directly on the issue Thursday, describing the legal proceedings against Netanyahu as a "WITCH HUNT" and calling for them to be "CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State," in a Truth Social post. Several Israeli media outlets, including the Kann public broadcaster, cited sources saying that Trump's push to end Netanyahu's trial was part of the broader effort to win the Israeli premier's agreement to end the war in Gaza. The Times of Israel reported that the Jerusalem District Court on Friday twice rejected requests from Netanyahu for a two-week hiatus in the trial.
