Former US President Donald Trump has once more demanded an urgent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, asserting his hope that an accord could be achieved “within the week.” Speaking from the White House on June 27, Trump encouraged all parties to “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” via Truth Social, underscoring the need to reduce hostilities and expedite release of abducted individuals (aljazeera.com +5; dawn.com +5; youtube.com +5) for effective resolution
Trump repeated these sentiments later at a press briefing, where he told reporters “we think [a deal is close]. Within the next week we should have a ceasefire,” noting he had “just spoken with some of those involved” in negotiations (Washingtonpost.com/Reuters.com / TimesofIsrael).
Trump’s renewed push comes amid renewed violence in Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes killed at least 34 Palestinian civilians sheltering from Israeli airstrikes within civilian areas, arabnews.com reports.
Trump expressed optimism, while Israeli officials were less confident. Anonymous sources described his statements as nothing more than political wishful thinking; there appeared to be no tangible breakthroughs during mediation sessions (Arabnews.com +2, Ynetnews +2)
Officials noted that no new signals had been received suggesting any change in either Hamas or Prime Minister Netanyahu’s positions.
Still, Trump maintained that momentum is building. He saw U.S. military and diplomatic actions–such as recent strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Iran–as creating the conditions necessary for progress in Gaza, using media outlets like YouTube.com (reuters.com +3) or AAPnews (AP News +3 for example), Wsj (Wall Street Journal), NY Post etc for example as evidence for this claim.
A senior White House official informed Reuters that Israel has agreed to consider a Gaza truce as long as Iran refrains from initiating new military actions.
Central to any ceasefire concept is an exchange: Hamas’ release of Israeli hostages held captive as exchange for an indefinite ceasefire and subsequent temporary cessation of fighting. According to reports, Hamas is willing to release some hostages if an agreement can be reached; Israel, on its part, maintains its requirement that militant elements disarm prior to any cessation in operations.
At the same time, Gaza remains in crisis as aid convoys have been looted and billions in deliveries continue to be blocked due to violence and blockades. Donald Trump used his platform to criticize other nations for insufficient contributions towards relief efforts while simultaneously emphasizing U.S. intervention – both military and humanitarian–was indispensable. For more information on this story visit NYPost.com
International responses remain divided. Some global leaders have encouraged steps toward a ceasefire, though conditions for its implementation remain unknown. Behind-the-scenes diplomacy mediated by Qatar, Egypt and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff continues to chip away at an impasse even if visible progress remains minimal; (AA.com/tr +1) and (WSJ.com) are respectively adding one vote each.
Trump’s promises of a ceasefire “in the next week” may seem premature to some observers, yet his relentless advocacy indicates mounting pressure on negotiators. With hostages still held and thousands of civilian lives at stake as regional tensions heighten, this public push underscores an urgent need to convert diplomatic maneuvers into concrete agreements.
But for all of the rhetoric, ceasefire talks remain tenuous. Whether Donald Trump’s public campaign will expedite resolution or provide hope remains to be seen; what is clear however, is that time is ticking away and renewed peace in Gaza may depend on swift and decisive action being taken immediately in coming days.