Trump says hopes for Gaza ceasefire ‘sometime next week'
The Republican leader was asked by reporters if a ceasefire in the devastating war between Israel and Palestinians could be in place before a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, set for July 7.
'We hope it's going to happen, and we're looking for it to happen sometime next week,' Trump responded as he departed Washington for Florida.
Gaza rescuers say Israeli forces kill over 50 as ceasefire calls mount
The swift resolution of Israel's 12-day war with Iran has revived hopes for a halt to the fighting in Gaza, where more than 20 months of combat have created dire humanitarian conditions for the population of more than two million.
Trump has previously urged Israel to 'make the deal in Gaza,' but on the ground, Israel has continued to pursue its offensive across the Palestinian territory.
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Indeed, US President Donald Trump's statement that the US is pushing for a truce in Gaza by 'sometime next week' has given birth to some legitimate hopes that Israel's war machinery will stop killing and maiming more Palestinians very soon. Through these columns I would urge the head of government of world's most powerful country to walk the talk in order to strengthen his credentials for the Nobel Peace Prize. No doubt, President Trump is rightly credited for effecting a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May. He also successfully ended the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last month. It is quite likely that he would be using his good offices for a much-needed ceasefire in Gaza where human misery has reached a situation, which is beyond description, beyond atrocious and beyond inhumane. Doctors in Gaza, for example, have warned that thousands of babies could die, as baby formula supplies run dry under Israel's inhumane blockade. President Trump must do the needful so as to become the fifth president of the US to have won the Nobel Peace Prize (after Barrack Obama, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter, with Carter becoming the recipient of Nobel Peace Prize after leaving office). In sum, the situation has clearly thrown up an opportunity for President Trump. He should grab it with both hands. Laiba Khan (Karachi) Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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