Trump says he expects Hamas decision in 24 hours on 'final' peace proposal
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Democratic Republic of the Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwanda's Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday it would probably be known in 24 hours whether the Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed to accept what he has called a "final proposal" for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza.
The president also said he had spoken to Saudi Arabia about expanding the Abraham Accords, the deal on normalization of ties that his administration negotiated between Israel and some Gulf countries during his first term.
Trump said on Tuesday Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war.
He was asked on Friday if Hamas had agreed to the latest ceasefire deal framework, and said: "We'll see what happens, we are going to know over the next 24 hours."
A source close to Hamas said on Thursday the Islamist group sought guarantees that the new U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal would lead to the end of Israel's war in Gaza.
Two Israeli officials said those details were still being worked out. Dozens of Palestinians were killed on Thursday in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza authorities.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
World Trump says countries to start paying tariffs on Aug 1, floats range of 10% to 70%
Singapore Sengkang murder: Man accused of killing elderly mother escorted back to crime scene
Singapore Multiple charges for man accused of damaging PAP campaign materials on GE2025 Polling Day
Singapore Jail for man who recruited 2 Japanese women for prostitution at MBS
Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4
Asia Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region
Asia Indonesian rescuers widen search for missing after ferry sinks
World Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending Bill wins congressional approval
Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
A previous two month ceasefire ended when Israeli strikes killed more than 400 Palestinians on March 18. Trump earlier this year proposed a U.S. takeover of Gaza, which was condemned globally by rights experts, the U.N. and Palestinians as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing."
ABRAHAM ACCORDS
Trump made the comments on the Abraham Accords when asked about U.S. media reporting late on Thursday that he had met Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman at the White House.
"It's one of the things we talked about," Trump said. "I think a lot of people are going to be joining the Abraham accords," he added, citing the predicted expansion to the damage faced by Iran from recent U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Axios reported that after the meeting with Trump, the Saudi official spoke on the phone with Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces.
Trump's meeting with the Saudi official came ahead of a visit to Washington next week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Iran's Khamenei attends public event after weeks of war with Israel
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a televised message, after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo DUBAI - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attended a religious event on Saturday, according to a video carried by state television, after reports that he was in a "secure location" since the start of a 12-day air war with Israel in which top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed. The video carried by state media showed dozens attending a ceremony to mark Ashura, the holiest day of the Shi'ite Muslim calendar, standing chanting as Khamenei entered a hall where many government functions are held. For apparent security reasons, Khamenei had issued pre-taped messages during the war which started on June 13, and avoided public appearances. On June 26, in pre-recorded remarks aired on state television, Khamenei promised that Iran would not surrender despite U.S. President Donald Trump's calls. REUTERS
Straits Times
44 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine's Zelensky says latest phone call with Trump his most productive yet
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attend a meeting on the sidelines of Nato summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 5 that his latest conversation with US President Donald Trump this week was the best and "most productive" he has had to date. "Regarding the conversation with the president of the United States, which took place a day earlier, it was probably the best conversation we have had during this whole time, the most productive," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. "We discussed air defence issues and I'm grateful for the willingness to help. The Patriot system is precisely the key to protection against ballistic threats." Mr Zelensky said the two leaders had discussed "several other important matters" that officials from the two sides would be considering in forthcoming meetings. Mr Trump told reporters on July 4 that he had a good call with Mr Zelensky and restated his disappointment at a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin over what he said was Moscow's lack of willingness to work toward a ceasefire. Asked whether the United States would agree to supply more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, as requested by Mr Zelensky, Mr Trump said: "They're going to need them for defence... They're going to need something because they're being hit pretty hard." Russia has intensified air attacks on Kyiv and other cities in recent weeks. Moscow's forces launched the largest drone attack of the 40-month-old war on the Ukrainian capital hours after Mr Trump's conversation with Mr Putin on July 3. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
BRICS agree to joint statement ahead of Rio leaders summit
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ricardo Alban, President of the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), delivers a speech as Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Brazil's Vice President Geraldo Alckmin participate at the opening of the BRICS Business Forum, ahead of the BRICS Presidential Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares RIO DE JANEIRO - Diplomats from the BRICS group of developing nations have agreed on a joint declaration of their leaders at a summit in Rio de Janeiro this week, three people familiar with the talks said on Saturday. The shared statement, which a gathering of their foreign ministers failed to achieve in April, underscores the group's commitment to consensus despite its quickly expanding ranks. The group of major emerging economies expanded last year beyond Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. That has added diplomatic weight to the gathering, which aspires to speak for developing nations in the Global South, but also increased the complexity of reaching common terms on contentious geopolitical issues. Negotiators preparing for the leaders summit over the past week had struggled to find shared language about the bombardment of Gaza, the Israel-Iran conflict and Africa's representative in a proposed reform of the United Nations Security Council, said two of the sources, who requested anonymity to speak openly. To overcome differences among African nations on the continent's Security Council representative, the group agreed to endorse seats for Brazil and India, while leaving open which country should represent Africa's interests, a person familiar with the talks said. The source said the group had agreed to sharpen its tone on conflicts in the Middle East, strengthening language beyond an April note expressing "serious concern." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Asean needs 'bolder reforms' to attract investments in more fragmented global economy: PM Wong Singapore CPF members can make housing, retirement and health insurance plans with new digital platform Singapore CPF's central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever: SM Lee Singapore Credit reports among personal data of 190,000 breached, put for sale on Dark Web; IT vendor fined Asia Dalai Lama hopes to live beyond 130 years, much longer than predicted Singapore Tan Cheng Bock, Hazel Poa step down from PSP leadership; party launches 'renewal plan' Sport Liverpool will move on after Jota's tragic death, but he will never be forgotten Singapore Rock climbing fan suddenly could not jump, get up from squats On trade, sources said the BRICS will continue their thinly veiled criticism of U.S. tariff policy under President Donald Trump from the April ministerial meeting, where they warned against "unjustified unilateral protectionist measures, including the indiscriminate increase of reciprocal tariffs." REUTERS
