Without detailing what the conditions are, President Donald Trump has announced that Israel has agreed to the “necessary conditions” to finalise a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza.
He added that during the proposed deal, “We will work with all parties to end the War.”
“The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. 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.”
Donald Trump
The new proposal came just days after Qatar helped broker a ceasefire between Iran and Israel after US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, and months after an initial Trump administration-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza was rejected by Hamas.
Trump’s comments also came shortly after Israel ordered evacuations in northern Gaza ahead of increased military action.
At least 20 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a seafront cafe in Gaza City on Monday, according to medics and eyewitnesses.
The Israeli military this week also said that it was examining reports of civilians being “harmed” while approaching aid distribution centres in Gaza run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
More than 170 charities and other NGOs have called for the controversial group to be shut down.
Organisations like Oxfam and Save the Children say Israeli forces “routinely” open fire on Palestinians seeking aid.
Israel denies this accusation and says that the organisation is necessary to bypass Hamas interference in aid distribution.
Meanwhile, Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu next week.
Trump told reporters that he would be “very firm” in discussions with Netanyahu at next week’s planned White House meeting.
He predicted that the Prime Minister wanted to end the war.“He wants to. I can tell you he wants to. I think we’ll have a deal next week,” Trump said.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said that “many opportunities have opened up” following Israel’s military operations in Iran, including the possibility of bringing home the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Around 50 Israeli hostages are still in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
Ceasefire Agreement To Be A Challenge
Even with a new proposal on the table, agreeing to a ceasefire remains a major challenge.
It was not immediately clear whether Hamas would accept the conditions of the proposed deal.
Hamas has long pushed for a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, so it is unclear if it would agree to a temporary 60-day truce.
Hamas also still maintains its core demand that the war needs to end and that it would have to stay in power, which Israel will not allow.
In March, a previous ceasefire deal collapsed when Israel launched fresh strikes on Gaza.
The Israeli military described the action as “pre-emptive strikes… based on Hamas’s readiness to execute terror attacks, build up force and re-arm.”
The previous ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas – which started on 19 January – was set up to have three stages, but did not make it past the first stage.
Stage two included establishing a permanent ceasefire, the return of remaining living hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Israel has maintained that the conflict can only end when Hamas has been completely dismantled.
