US President Donald Trump on Sunday again called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, both of them to seal a deal that would bring the 20-month conflict in Gaza to a close and release hostages. His call came as there were indications of fresh diplomatic efforts, with Israeli Cabinet Minister Ron Dermer to visit Washington for talks and a possible visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the pipeline.
“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, showing urgency regarding the situation. He also seemed to be implying a possible breakthrough in that he mentioned that a ceasefire agreement might be achieved within a week.
Yet Trump’s words went beyond foreign policy. Trump berated Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial, labeling it a “POLITICAL WITCH HUNT” that disrupts important ceasefire talks. The comments elicited divided responses in Israel, where Trump has wide popularity but his public intervention into internal legal affairs raised eyebrows.
Ceasefire negotiations remain stalled over a key issue: whether the war should end as part of the agreement. Hamas insists on a full Israeli withdrawal and permanent ceasefire in exchange for releasing hostages. Israel, however, demands Hamas’s surrender, disarmament, and exile terms the group rejects.
At the same time, Israel’s military has issued mass evacuations from Gaza City and the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza in advance of widened operations. Rights organizations caution this is potentially a forced displacement, as thousands who returned under a previous ceasefire are once more compelled to evacuate.
The war, which erupted following Hamas’s horrific October 2023 attack, has claimed more than 56,500 lives, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports, and laid the area to waste. As talks drag on, humanitarian and political crises in the region intensify.
