Trump Pushes for Gaza Ceasefire Deal as Netanyahu Talks Stall in Washington
President Donald Trump expressed confidence on Monday that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is close, despite negotiators making no progress in the latest round of indirect talks in Doha, Qatar. The talks are expected to resume Tuesday, though Palestinian officials familiar with the discussions say there has been no movement toward a resolution.
Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time in two days at the White House. The leaders discussed the war in Gaza and ongoing efforts to halt the violence. “The ceasefire talks are going along very well,” Trump told reporters after the meeting. Netanyahu did not signal the same optimism.
A senior Israeli political figure told reporters in Washington that the Israeli side remains far from satisfied with the direction of the negotiations. “I don’t know if a deal will be signed this week. It will take continued pressure and patience,” the official said. “We’re about 80 to 90 percent of the way to where we wanted to be in previous talks.”
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, previously said four issues separated the two sides. Now, he claims only one remains. The U.S.-backed proposal on the table includes a 60-day truce in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in five phases. In return, Israel would release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and withdraw from parts of Gaza.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Since then, the Israeli military campaign has killed over 57,500 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The Israeli army confirmed five of its soldiers were killed Monday by a roadside bomb in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza. A Hamas spokesman claimed responsibility, stating the group carried out a “targeted strike” against the Israeli Defense Forces.
The latest death toll, released by Gaza’s health ministry Tuesday, reported at least 52 Palestinians killed in the previous 24 hours.
While in Washington, Netanyahu also met Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson. He emphasized that Israel’s military operations in Gaza are not yet complete. “We still have to finish the job in Gaza,” Netanyahu said. “We must release all our hostages and dismantle Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.”
Controversially, Netanyahu reiterated his stance against Palestinian statehood. “Israel will always maintain security control over Gaza,” he said. “Now, people will say: ‘It’s not a state.’ We don’t care.”
Netanyahu also presented Trump with a letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. “He’s forging peace as we speak, in one country, in one region after another,” Netanyahu said during their joint appearance.
During the same meeting, Trump claimed he had regional cooperation to support plans for voluntary Palestinian resettlement outside Gaza. “If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to,” Netanyahu added.
These relocation proposals have been widely criticized. The United Nations has warned that forcibly removing civilians from an occupied territory is illegal under international law and could be considered ethnic cleansing. Arab leaders, human rights groups, and Western governments have also condemned the idea. Egypt and other countries have proposed a large-scale reconstruction plan inside Gaza instead, allowing Palestinians to remain in temporary housing.
In Israel, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told local media that the military is developing a plan to move Gaza’s two million residents into a camp in the south after screening for Hamas ties. One Israeli legal expert described the strategy as “an operational blueprint for a crime against humanity.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources involved in the Doha negotiations disputed claims of progress. “There has been no headway, not even an inch,” one official told the BBC. Another warned that Hamas is beginning to question Israel’s intentions, accusing it of giving a false sense of optimism.
Despite the lack of results, Trump maintains that Hamas is ready to agree to terms. “They want to meet and they want that ceasefire,” he said.
Netanyahu’s visit marks his third trip to the U.S. since Trump began his second term in office six months ago. Their Monday meeting was the first since the U.S. joined Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Witkoff stated that a new round of U.S. talks with Iran is expected in the coming days. Trump added that he would consider lifting sanctions on Iran at the right time.
As the negotiations continue, both sides remain under mounting pressure to end the conflict. However, the stark gap between public statements and ground realities highlights the difficulty of securing a lasting agreement.
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