President Donald Trump said Israel has agreed to the conditions needed for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, adding that the plan would now be presented to Hamas.
“Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that Qatar and Egypt will deliver the final proposal.
“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,” Trump wrote.
The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump last week said he thought a ceasefire in Gaza could be “close.” But he didn’t provide further details 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 Oct. 7, 2023, which saw 1,200 people killed and about 250 abducted.
The American president is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on July 7.
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, designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union, has disarmed, while Hamas has called for Israel to withdraw from Gaza.
International pressure to halt the war has grown with aid agencies warning that the 2 million residents of Gaza, much of which has been destroyed in the conflict, are at risk of famine. More than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent Israeli military campaign, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
Netanyahu’s government stepped up its military campaign in May and barred aid for several weeks from the territory in a bid to pressure Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and return hostages it still holds. Even as aid deliveries have resumed, the distribution of food supplies has been marred by violence and chaos.
In late May, Israel said it had accepted a US ceasefire proposal for Gaza that included a 60-day pause in the fighting, the restoration of UN-led food distribution and Hamas releasing some hostages. A counteroffer from Hamas, which wanted a guarantee that Israeli troops would withdraw, however was rejected by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
It is unclear if the conditions Trump said Israel accepted are similar to those in the earlier ceasefire proposal.
While Trump is one of Netanyahu’s closest allies on the world stage, the US president has urged him to end the war and secure the release of the remaining hostages.
With assistance from Jordan Fabian.
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