Trump Pivots To Pressuring Israel For New Ceasefire Deal In Gaza

“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” President Trump wrote on social media early Sunday, pivoting from a month dominated by large-scale Iran strikes to seeking more peace and stability in the long-running Israel-Palestine conflict.

Naturally, the Palestinian side remains doubtful that any real progress will be made, given especially that the Netanyahu government has repeatedly refused to steer away from its primary war aims in the Gaza Strip of utterly destroying Hamas, and ensuring it can never come back to lead.

Ron Dermer, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to travel to Washington this week for discussions on a possible ceasefire, also amid reports that the Israeli leader himself will soon be hosted in the White House. 

President Trump was quoted in The Washington Post last Friday as saying, “I just spoke with some of the people involved. It’s a terrible situation that’s going on in Gaza … We think within the next week we’re going to get a ceasefire.”

Following this, Netanyahu held a secretive meeting with his security Cabinet on Sunday as pressure builds to re-enter negotiations with Hamas.

“They promised to stop the war if the hostages were released,” one Palestinian resident, Abdel Hadi Al-Hour, was quoted in The Associated Press as saying. “But the war never stopped.”

Ceasefire negotiations have not gotten anywhere largely over the question of whether a truce should bring an end to the war entirely. This is as Hamas insists on a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages; however, Israel has consistently demanded that all Hamas militants disarm and leave the Strip completely.

These are non-starters for both sides at this point, even if their respective populations put pressure on leadership to achieve a deal which would bring relief from war.

Israeli warplanes have continued pounding various areas of Gaza, including more Monday airstrikes on Gaza City. Al Jazeera details the latest as follows:

• Israel has launched dozens of air strikes across Gaza with northern Gaza City in its crosshairs after the military issued forced evacuation threats, raising fears of an intensified ground assault.
• Israeli forces killed at least 80 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn with dozens wounded including in an attack on Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah.
• Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid urged an end to the war, saying there was “no longer any benefit” for Israel to continue.
• Egypt’s foreign minister says his country is working on a new Gaza deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some Israeli captives.

Palestinian sources have said that over 56,000 Gazans have been killed since the war began, with an additional more than 133,000 wounded. 

And the Israeli side has tallied some 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks, with more than 200 taken captive after that. Possibly less than 20 living hostages remain, based on prior indications given by Israeli sources.