People take part in a protest demanding the end of the war and immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday. Ariel Schalit/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Ariel Schalit/AP
TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday pleaded for progress in ceasefire talks in the war in Gaza, calling for a deal that would halt the fighting in the 20-month-long conflict as Israel and Hamas appeared to be inching closer to an agreement.
Middle East conflict
Israel’s leaders slam a news report on a Gaza ‘killing field’ near food sites
An Israeli official said plans were being made for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to travel to Washington, D.C., in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a new deal. The official declined to discuss the focus of the visit and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that had not yet been finalized.
“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social early Sunday between posts about a Senate vote on his tax and spending cuts bill.
A top adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Cabinet Minister Ron Dermer, was set to travel to Washington this week for talks on a ceasefire, an Israeli official said.
The official said plans also were being made for Netanyahu to travel to Washington in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a new deal. The official declined to discuss the focus of the visit and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that had not yet been finalized.
“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social early Sunday between posts about a Senate vote on his tax and spending cuts bill.
Trump raised expectations Friday for a deal, saying there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters, he said, “We’re working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.”
Trump has repeatedly called for Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza. Despite an eight-week ceasefire reached just as Trump took office earlier this year, attempts since then to bring the sides toward a new agreement have failed.
Trump post slams Netanyahu corruption trial
The Gaza message wasn’t the only Middle East-related post by Trump. On Saturday evening, he doubled down on his criticism of the legal proceedings against Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption, calling it “a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure.”
Relatives of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip mourn their deaths at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Saturday. Jehad Alshrafi/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Jehad Alshrafi/AP
In the post on Truth Social, he said the trial interfered with talks on a Gaza ceasefire.
“(Netanyahu) is right now in the process of negotiating a Deal with Hamas, which will include getting the Hostages back. How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING,” Trump wrote.
Middle East conflict
With a series of wars, Israel’s military reshapes the Mideast
The post echoed similar remarks Trump made last week when he called for the trial to be canceled. It was a dramatic interference by an international ally in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state. And it unnerved many in Israel, despite Trump’s popularity in the country.
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.
A sticking point over how the war ends
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.
Middle East conflict
An Israeli restaurant owner now reps a controversial U.S.-backed Gaza food program
Netanyahu spokesperson Omer Dostri said “Hamas was the only obstacle to ending the war,” without addressing Merdawi’s claim.
Hamas says it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and an end to the war. Israel rejects that offer, saying it will agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something the group refuses.
The war in Gaza began with Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas in which militants killed 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostage, about 50 of whom remain captive with less than half believed to be alive.
Gaza’s Health Ministry on Sunday said an additional 88 people were killed by Israeli fire over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 56,500 in over 20 months of fighting. The ministry, part of the Hamas government, does not distinguish between militants and civilians in their count but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
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 orders new evacuations in northern Gaza
The Israeli military on Sunday 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.
Col. Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, posted the order on social media. It includes multiple neighborhoods in eastern and northern Gaza City, as well as the Jabaliya refugee camp.
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, Adraee said.
Palestinians dig through sand looking for belongings after an Israeli strike hit a displacement tent camp in Gaza City, Saturday. Jehad Alshrafi/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Jehad Alshrafi/AP
After being all but emptied earlier in the war, hundreds of thousands of people are in northern Gaza following their return during a ceasefire earlier this year.
An Israeli military offensive currently underway aims to move Palestinians to southern Gaza so forces can more freely operate to combat militants. Rights groups say their movement would amount to forcible displacement.
