US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East said on Tuesday that he aims to have a Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas by the end of the week.
“We are hopeful that by the end of this week, we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire,” Steve Witkoff said during a meeting of Trump’s Cabinet members.
Witkoff said the deal would include Hamas releasing 10 living hostages. Efforts to secure a temporary ceasefire have been stalled for months but the mediators in Doha recently presented another proposal, which reports say provides for the cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip for at least 60 days, the staggered release of 10 Israeli hostages, and the return of the remains of dead hostages.
In return, a large number of Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli prisons.
During the ceasefire, the two sides would attempt to negotiate a permanent end to the war.
Israel’s military chief also said “conditions have been created” for the advancement of a hostage release deal in Gaza, as indirect negotiations were under way between Israel and Hamas.
“We have achieved many significant results, we have caused great damage to the governance and military capabilities of Hamas,” armed forces chief Eyal Zamir said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his meeting with President Donald Trump had focused on freeing hostages held in Gaza, as Israel continued to pound the Palestinian territory amid efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Trump met Netanyahu on Tuesday for the second time in two days to discuss the situation in Gaza. Hamas official Taher al Nono said they were engaged in a “difficult round” of negotiations.
The top issue for the group’s negotiators was the free flow of aid into Gaza as well as the location of withdrawal lines of Israeli forces. — Agencies
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