Latest news with #IsraelHamas
News24
10-07-2025
- Politics
- News24
Gaza truce deal weeks, not a day away, says Israel official as sticking points hamstring progress
A Gaza ceasefire deal is unlikely by the end of the week, says an Israeli official. Israel and Hamas have yet to reach agreement on the main sticking points. US President Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Gaza. Israel and Hamas may be able to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal within one or two weeks but such an agreement is not likely to be secured in just a day's time, a senior Israeli official said on Wednesday. Speaking during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, the official said that if the two sides agree to a proposed 60-day ceasefire, Israel would use that time to offer a permanent ceasefire that would require the Palestinian militant group to disarm. If Hamas refuses, 'we'll proceed' with military operations in Gaza, the official said on condition of anonymity. US President Donald Trump met Netanyahu on Tuesday for the second time in two days to discuss the situation in Gaza, with the president's Middle East envoy indicating that Israel and Hamas were nearing an agreement on a US-brokered ceasefire proposal after 21 months of war. Trump had previously predicted that a deal could be reached this week, raising speculation about a possible announcement before Netanyahu leaves for Israel on Thursday. READ | Israel minister demands Netanyahu ends Gaza ceasefire talks with 'Hamas murderers in Doha' On Wednesday, however, Trump appeared to extend the timeframe somewhat, telling reporters that while an agreement was 'very close', it could happen this week or even next - though 'not definitely'. A source familiar with Hamas' thinking said four days of indirect talks with Israel in Qatar did not produce any breakthroughs on main sticking points. The Israeli official, who briefed reporters in Washington, declined to provide details on the negotiations. Trump's Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the anticipated agreement would involve the release of 10 living and nine deceased hostages. Netanyahu's visit came just over two weeks after the president ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israeli air strikes. Trump then helped arrange a ceasefire in the 12-day Israel-Iran war. Abdalhkem Abu Riash/Anadolu via Getty Images Trump and his aides have tried to seize on any momentum created by the weakening of Iran, which backs Hamas, to push both sides for a breakthrough to end the Gaza war. The Gaza conflict began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that killed approximately 1 200 people and saw 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli figures. Around 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. Israel's retaliatory war has killed more than 57 000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says, and reduced much of Gaza to rubble. Netanyahu has used his US visit to publicly thank Trump for joining with Israel in striking Iran. Doaa Albaz/Anadolu via Getty Images Trump has repeatedly declared that the US bombing of three of Iran's nuclear sites had 'obliterated' them, though some experts have questioned the extent of the damage and raised the possibility that Iran had secreted away part of its enriched uranium stockpile before the strikes. The Israel official said Israeli intelligence indicated that Iran's enriched uranium remained at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, the sites that the US hit in June, and had not been moved. The official suggested, however, that the Iranians might still be able to gain access to Isfahan but it would be hard to remove any of the material there. Iran has always denied seeking a nuclear weapon.
Sky News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Courting Trump: Why African nations want to win over the White House
👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈 After an evening briefing on the latest attempt to broker an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza, will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington bear fruit in the search for peace in the region? Wednesday also saw five leaders from African states visit the White House, where they became the latest to lavish the US president with praise in the hope of gaining his favour, and a path to avoiding his trade tariffs. Is this the new status quo in interacting with Trump's America? And - why is one of Donald Trump's cabinet members under fire for saying that there is no Jeffrey Epstein 'client list'? If you've got a question you'd like the Trump100 team to answer, you can email it to trump100@ You can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel
Asharq Al-Awsat
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Trump, Netanyahu Meet Again as Gaps Said to Narrow in Gaza Ceasefire Talks
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday met for a second time in two days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Gaza as Trump's Middle East envoy said Israel and Hamas were closing their differences on a ceasefire deal. Netanyahu arrived at the White House shortly before 5 p.m. EDT for a meeting that was not expected to be open to the press. The two men met for several hours during a dinner at the White House on Monday during the Israeli leader's third US visit since the president began his second term on January 20. Netanyahu met with Vice President JD Vance and then visited the US Capitol on Tuesday. He told reporters after a meeting with the Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are "certainly working" on a ceasefire. "We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and government capabilities," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu's return to the White House to see Trump on Tuesday pushed back his meeting with US Senate leaders to Wednesday. Shortly after Netanyahu spoke, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said the issues keeping Israel and Hamas from agreeing had dropped to one from four and he hoped to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement this week. "We are hopeful that by the end of this week, we'll have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire. Ten live hostages will be released. Nine deceased will be released," Witkoff told reporters at a meeting of Trump's Cabinet. The Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war and nearly half a million people are facing famine within months, according to United Nations estimates. Trump had strongly supported Netanyahu, even wading into domestic Israeli politics by criticizing prosecutors over a corruption trial against the Israeli leader on bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges that Netanyahu denies. In his remarks to reporters at the US Congress, Netanyahu praised Trump, saying there has never been closer coordination between the US and Israel in his country's history.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Trump meets with Netanyahu amid Gaza ceasefire talks
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Tuesday evening for the second time in as many days to discuss the ongoing war in meeting comes after Trump's Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff said Israel and Hamas could be close to agreeing on a 60-day ceasefire arrived at the White House shortly after 17:00 EST on Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday) for the meeting, which was not open to members of the on Tuesday, Netanyahu met with vice-president JD Vance. He also met with Trump for several hours during a dinner at the White House on Monday. It marks Netanyahu's third state visit to the US since Trump's second term. Netanyahu also met with the Republican House of Representative Speaker Mike Johnson. After that meeting, the Israeli Prime Minister said he did not believe Israel's military campaign in Gaza was done, but that negotiators are "certainly working" on a ceasefire."We still have to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and government capabilities," Netanyahu later said that Israel and Hamas were closing the gap on issues that previously prevented them from reaching a deal, and that he hoped a temporary, 60-day ceasefire will be agreed on this added that the draft deal would also include the release of 10 hostages who are alive, and the bodies of nine who are told reporters on Monday evening that ceasefire talks are "going very well". But Qatar, which has played a mediator role in negotiations, said on Tuesday morning that more time was needed for negotiations. "I don't think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari they met for dinner on Monday, Trump and Netanyahu were asked about Israeli and US proposals suggested earlier this year to permanently relocate Palestinians from said he had co-operation for this from countries neighbouring Israel, while Netanyahu said he was working with the US on finding countries that will "give Palestinians a better future"."If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave," Netanyahu to force Palestinians out of Gaza has been met by condemnation from the UN, Arab leaders, human rights organisations, and Western countries, led by Egypt, have suggested an alternative plan involving massive reconstruction in Gaza while Palestinians stay there in temporary housing UN has warned that the deportation or forcible transfer of an occupied territory's civilian population is strictly prohibited under international law and "tantamount to ethnic cleansing".Before discussions resumed on Tuesday, a Palestinian source familiar with the talks told the BBC they have not made any latest round of negotiations between Hamas and Israel began on Sunday. The ongoing Gaza war began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 57,500 in Gaza according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
CNA
08-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Trump to hold fresh talks with Netanyahu to end Gaza 'tragedy
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would return to the White House for talks on Tuesday (Jul 8) in a bid to end the "tragedy" of the Gaza war, after Qatari mediators warned it would take time to seal a deal. The dramatic push came as Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said he hoped for an agreement on an elusive 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas by the end of the week. Trump said the second meeting in two days between the US and Israeli leaders - after he hosted Netanyahu at the White House on Monday - reflected that all sides wanted to reach an agreement. "It's a tragedy, and he (Netanyahu) wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to," Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting. Netanyahu, who was also meeting congressional leaders during his third trip to Washington since Trump returned to power, is due to meet Trump again at 4.30 pm, the Israeli prime minister's office said. Trump has strongly backed Netanyahu, especially over the recent Iran-Israel war, but has also been stepping up the pressure to end what he calls the "hell" in Gaza. Qatar however said Tuesday more time was needed for negotiations for a breakthrough between Israel and Hamas, as indirect negotiations extended into a third day in Doha. "I don't think that I can give any timeline at the moment, but I can say right now that we will need time for this," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said. "HOPEFUL" Qatar, a mediator along with the United States and Egypt, said the meetings in Doha were focused on a framework for the talks, while a Palestinian official close to the negotiations said no breakthrough had been achieved so far. But Witkoff, who is set to join the talks in Doha this week, was upbeat. "We are hopeful that by end of this week we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire," Witkoff said at Trump's cabinet meeting. "Ten live hostages will be released. Nine deceased will be released." On the ground, five Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in northern Gaza - one of the deadliest days this year for Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory. Gaza's civil defence, meanwhile, reported 29 killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday, including three children. Israel and Hamas began the latest round of negotiations on Sunday, with representatives seated in separate rooms within the same building. An Israeli official accompanying Netanyahu to Washington said the proposal under discussion was "80-90 per cent of what Israel wanted". But far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir opposed negotiations with Hamas, saying that "there is no need to negotiate with those who murder our fighters; they must be torn to shreds." "DIFFICULT MORNING" Netanyahu described the loss of five soldiers in Gaza as a "difficult morning." They were reportedly killed by improvised explosive devices near Beit Hanun in northern Gaza. According to the Israeli military, 450 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza military campaign. The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for Gaza's more than two million people. Netanyahu said as he met Trump on Monday that Israel and the United States were close to a deal with neighbouring countries on taking in Palestinians in Gaza, though Arab countries have rejected such plans. Earlier this year, Trump proposed taking over the Gaza Strip and displacing its people, though he has been quieter on the plan in recent months. "I think President Trump had a brilliant vision. It's called free choice. If people want to stay (in Gaza), they can stay; but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave," Netanyahu said. The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Of 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during an attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27, the Israeli military says, are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,575 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable.
