U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Israel has agreed to terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, urging Hamas to accept the deal before the situation worsens. The announcement came ahead of Trump's scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week. Trump stated that U.S. representatives held productive talks with Israeli officials, and that the final proposal would be delivered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. “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,” Trump warned, framing the offer as his best and final.
The
development comes as the war in Gaza, now approaching 21 months, has resulted
in more than 56,000 deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Despite the
ceasefire talks, Israel continued military operations on Tuesday, including
airstrikes in Khan Younis that killed at least 37 people, while deadly food aid
site incidents led over 150 international aid groups to call for the disbanding
of a controversial Israeli-U.S.-backed aid distribution system. Trump believes
the current moment represents a turning point in the conflict, asserting that
Hamas has been significantly weakened, with its command infrastructure heavily
damaged by joint Israeli-U.S. military actions and Iran, its main backer, also
facing devastating strikes last month.
As Netanyahu prepares to visit Washington, Israeli officials remain firm that any ceasefire deal must include Hamas disarming and going into exile—terms the group rejects. Meanwhile, Hamas insists that a full Israeli troop withdrawal and an end to the war are prerequisites for the release of remaining hostages, roughly 50 of whom are believed to still be in Gaza. Trump, who has made repeated ultimatums throughout the conflict, expressed optimism that a breakthrough is possible next week. Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer also held talks in Washington with U.S. officials to further discuss the ceasefire plan and broader regional security concerns.
