Trump claims Israel ready for Gaza peace deal
Washington: Donald Trump has claimed that Israel is ready to agree to a peace deal with Hamas as he seeks to broker a ceasefire to the war in Gaza that has claimed almost 60,000 lives.In a post on Truth Social, the US president wrote: “Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War.”He said representatives for Qatar and Egypt will deliver “this final proposal” to Hamas. There was no immediate official response from Israel or Hamas to Trump’s post.It is unclear what conditions specifically Israel has agreed to and Trump’s previous claims that Israel was ready to end the war, including a ceasefire negotiated before his inauguration in January, have quickly broken down as both sides have accused the other of violating agreements on prisoner exchanges.Nonetheless, the claim comes after Trump brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and on the same day as Israel’s strategic affairs minister, Ron Dermer, reportedly met US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.“The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal,” Trump wrote. “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 told reporters earlier in the day that he was hopeful that a ceasefire-for-hostages agreement could be achieved next week between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. He is set to meet Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.Trump and his aides appear to be seeking to use any momentum from US and Israeli strikes on Iran nuclear sites, as well as a ceasefire that took hold last week in that war, to secure a lasting truce in the war in Gaza.Trump told reporters during a visit to Florida that he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu on the need for a speedy Gaza ceasefire. “We hope it’s going to happen. And we’re looking forward to it happening sometime next week,” he told reporters. “We want to get the hostages out.”Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war. Israel says the war can end only if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. The two sides have shown little sign of a readiness to budge from their entrenched positions.Talk of a “final proposal” for a ceasefire comes after a horrific Israeli attack at the Al-Baqa cafe on the Gaza seafront on Monday that medical and other officials said killed between 24 and 36 Palestinians, including children.The Israel-Gaza war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,500 Palestinians, mostly civilians – though experts say this is likely to be an undercount, – displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population and reduced much of the territory to rubble.
