Trump team reveals when Gaza ceasefire deal could happen
Steve Witkoff (Photo: Getty Images)
Trump's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, stated that he hopes to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza by the end of the week, according to CNN.
Witkoff is expected to travel to Qatar later this week to take part in the ceasefire negotiations.
According to him, the negotiator has managed to make progress in resolving contentious issues and addressing the remaining points. He also added that, under the proposed agreement, up to 10 living and 10 deceased hostages are expected to be released.
“We’re in proximity talks now, and we had four issues, and now we’re down to one after two days of proximity talks. So, we are hopeful that by the end of this week, we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day Cease fire,” said Witkoff.
An Israeli source familiar with the situation reported that the unresolved issue concerns the maps outlining the withdrawal of Israeli forces after the ceasefire takes effect. According to the latest proposal, the Israel Defense Forces would pull out from certain areas in northern Gaza on the first day of the ceasefire, and from some areas in the south on the seventh day.
However, the specific maps have been left to negotiations between Israel and Hamas — a particularly complex issue given the opposing positions of the parties.
Israel has made it clear that it intends to maintain security control in Gaza in any post-war plan, while Hamas is demanding an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the besieged enclave.
As CNN reports, Israel wants to retain a presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the border between Egypt and Gaza, to control everything that enters the territory.
Earlier on Tuesday (still the same day in the US), Trump told reporters that he would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House to discuss almost exclusively the situation in Gaza.
This meeting will be the second in just a few days, indicating an intensification of efforts to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
“He’s going to come over again tonight. We’re talking about Gaza, mostly Gaza right now. We’re going to be talking about, I would say, almost exclusively, Gaza. We got to get that solved,” Trump told reporters at a government meeting.
Ceasefire in Gaza
Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, an agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release was reached between Israel and Hamas.
However, in mid-March, hostilities resumed, and negotiations for a new agreement are currently ongoing. Earlier, Trump stated that Israel had agreed to the necessary conditions for a ceasefire. Hamas responded positively to the proposal and also agreed to negotiations.
According to Euractiv, the EU plans to present member states next week with options for sanctions against Israel due to human rights violations in Gaza.
Additionally, yesterday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned that if a ceasefire is not reached soon in Gaza, London will take further measures against Israel.
