TEL AVIV, June 29: US President Donald Trump has called for progress in ceasefire talks in the war in Gaza, urging for a deal that would halt the fighting in the 20-month-long conflict as Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to an agreement. Cabinet Minister Ron Dermer is set to travel to Washington this week for talks on a ceasefire, while plans are being made for Netanyahu to travel to Washington in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a new deal. Trump has repeatedly called for Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza, but attempts since then have failed.
Trump has also criticized the legal proceedings against Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption, calling it “a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT” and calling it “very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure.” The trial has repeatedly been postponed at the request of Netanyahu, citing security and diplomatic developments. On Sunday, the court agreed to call off two more days of testimony by Netanyahu scheduled this week.
Talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over one major sticking point: whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire agreement. Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi accused Netanyahu of stalling progress on a deal, saying in remarks on the Telegram messaging app that the Israeli leader insists on a temporary agreement that would free just 10 of the hostages. Netanyahu spokesperson Omer Dostri said “Hamas was the only obstacle to ending the war”, without addressing Merdawi’s claim.
The war in Gaza began with October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas in which militants killed 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages, about 50 of whom remain captive with less than half believed to be alive. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported an additional 88 people killed by Israeli fire over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 56,500 in over 20 months of fighting. The war has set off a humanitarian catastrophe, displaced most of Gaza’s population, often multiple times, and obliterated much of the territory’s urban landscape.
Israeli military has ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians in large swaths of northern Gaza, an early target of the war that has been severely damaged by multiple rounds of fighting. The military will expand its escalating attacks to the city’s northern section, calling for people to move southward to the Muwasi area in southern Gaza. (AP)
