Trump pressures Hamas to accept ‘final proposal' for ceasefire, as White House cuts supplies to Ukraine
Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) that if a 60-day ceasefire was agreed, the US would then 'work with all parties to end the War' over that period. He said representatives for Qatar and Egypt would deliver 'this final proposal' to Hamas.
'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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' he said.
But as the White House pressed for a ceasefire in the Middle East, it also confirmed it had stopped the transfer of artillery rounds and air defences to Ukraine amid falling US stockpiles, as Ukraine endures stepped-up missile and drone attacks in its war with Russia.
The decision to halt supplies comes as Ukraine struggles to repel large-scale Russian missile and drone strikes across the country. On Sunday, Ukraine said Russia fired a record 537 missiles and drones in 'massive' overnight attacks. Russia has intensified its attacks in recent weeks as its president, Vladimir Putin, defies US and European calls to accept a ceasefire to allow for peace talks.
Trump said last week that he thought a ceasefire in Gaza could be 'close.' But he didn't provide further details in his social media post on how an agreement might unfold or with whom he had spoken about a possible halt to the war that began with the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which saw 1,200 people killed and about 250 abducted.
Ron Dermer, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is in Washington this week and had been expected to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Trump will meet Netanyahu in Washington on Monday.
An earlier ceasefire ended in mid-March, and talks on extending that truce stalled with Israel and Hamas deadlocked. Israel has insisted that it will not end its war until Hamas has disarmed, while Hamas has called for Israel to withdraw from Gaza.
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