
Gaza talks for Israel, Hamas as Netanyahu meets Trump
The US president has said a deal could be reached this week.
Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Netanyahu that Israeli negotiators had been given clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire under conditions that Israel has accepted.
An Israeli official described the atmosphere at the Gaza talks, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, as positive.
Palestinian officials said initial meetings on Sunday had ended inconclusively.
A second Israeli official said the issue of humanitarian aid had been discussed in Qatar, without providing further details.
The truce talks have been revived following June's 12-day Israeli air war against its arch-foe Iran, which backs Hamas.
The US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the war entirely.
Ending the war has been the main sticking point in past rounds of talks, with Hamas demanding a full end to the conflict in return for releasing all hostages, and Israel insisting it would fight on until Hamas is dismantled.
Some of Netanyahu's hardline coalition partners oppose ending the fighting, but, with Israelis having become increasingly weary of the 21-month-old war, his government is expected to back a ceasefire.
The war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1200 people and taking 251 hostages.
About 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are believed to be still alive.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign against Hamas has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health authorities, led to a hunger crisis, displaced nearly all the population and left most of the territory in ruins.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Sky News AU
35 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Trump ‘working hard' to secure Middle East peace deal
Former White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley discusses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House. 'It is obvious Donald Trump wants peace; he was the one who gave us peace in the Middle East the first time around, and he is working hard to do so now,' Mr Gidley told Sky News Australia. 'Whatever he can do to bring Israel to the table, whatever he can do to bring Iran to the table, he's going to push those levers to calm things down there.'

Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Trump and Netanyahu to discuss Gaza ceasefire during Washington visit
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Washington, DC, ahead of talks with White House officials. US Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has announced a key spokesperson will be visiting the Middle East to join ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Mr Netanyahu is set to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff before having a private Dinner with US President Donald Trump.


West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Trump hits Japan, South Korea with 25 per cent tariffs as trade war escalates, markets react, countries await
US President Donald Trump says the US will impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Japan and South Korea beginning August 1 as he unveiled the first two of what he has said will be a wave of letters to trading partners outlining the new levies they face. Mr Trump also announced the US will impose 25 per cent tariffs on Malaysia and Kazakhstan, 30 per cent on South Africa and 40 per cent on Laos and Myanmar. 'If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25 per cent that we charge,' Mr Trump said in letters to the leaders of South Korea and Japan, which he posted on his Truth Social platform. The rate for South Korea is the same that Trump initially announced on April 2, while the rate for Japan is one point higher than first announced. Mr Trump a week later capped all of the so-called reciprocal tariffs at 10 per cent until July 9 to allow for negotiations. There was no immediate response from the Japanese or South Korean embassies on the announcement. Only two agreements have so far been reached, with Britain and Vietnam. US stocks fell in response, the latest market ruction since Mr Trump unleashed a global trade war on his return to office in January. The S&P 500 on Monday was down nearly 1.0 per cent, its biggest drop in three weeks. His moves have repeatedly roiled financial markets and sent policymakers scrambling to protect their economies. US-listed shares of Japanese automotive companies fell, with Toyota Motor down 4.1 per cent in early afternoon trading and Honda Motor off by 3.8 per cent. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Monday he expected to make several trade announcements in the next 48 hours, adding that his inbox was full of last-ditch offers from countries to clinch a tariff deal before a July 9 deadline. Countries have scrambled to hammer out deals before the Wednesday deadline. South Korea and Indonesia dispatched representatives to Washington, while Thailand submitted a new trade proposal offering zero tariffs on many US goods. Mr Bessent did not say which countries could get deals and what they might contain. Mr Trump has kept much of the world guessing on the outcome of months of talks with countries hoping to avoid the hefty tariff hikes he has threatened. 'We've had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals,' Mr Bessent said in an interview with CNBC. The European Union will not be receiving a letter setting out higher tariffs, EU sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. For its part, the European Union still aims to reach a trade deal by July 9 after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mr Trump had a 'good exchange,' a Commission spokesperson said. It was not immediately clear, however, whether there had been a meaningful breakthrough in talks to stave off tariff hikes on the United States' largest trading partner. Adding to the pressure, Mr Trump threatened to impose a 17 per cent tariff on EU food and agriculture exports, it emerged last week. The EU has been torn over whether to push for a quick and light trade deal or back its own economic clout in trying to negotiate a better outcome. It had already dropped hopes for a comprehensive trade agreement before the July deadline. 'We want to reach a deal with the US We want to avoid tariffs,' the spokesperson told reporters at a daily briefing. 'We want to achieve win-win outcomes, not lose-lose outcomes.' Without a preliminary agreement, broad US tariffs on most imports would rise from their current 10 per cent to the rates set out by Mr Trump on April 2. In the EU's case, that would be 20 per cent. Von der Leyen also held talks with the leaders of Germany, France and Italy at the weekend, Germany said.