By Juliana Zammit
US President Donald Trump has announced a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza has been agreed to by Israel.
鈥淭he Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal,鈥 Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. 鈥淚 hope that Hamas takes this deal, because it will not get better, IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.鈥
The Israeli government has not confirmed whether it has accepted the conditions, and Hamas has not yet responded to the latest proposal.
Trump鈥檚 announcement comes days before his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump also said he believes Netanyahu is ready to end the war. 鈥淗e wants to. I can tell you he wants to. I think we’ll have a deal next week,鈥 he said.
Meanwhile, high-level meetings have been taking place in Washington. Israel鈥檚 Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was expected to meet US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday.
Israel鈥檚 ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said on Wednesday that Israel is 鈥渁bsolutely鈥 ready for a ceasefire.
He accused Hamas of stalling talks. 鈥淲e are putting pressure on Hamas, and if they will not come to the table, the only option we will have to bring back the hostages is to apply more military pressure,鈥 Danon said. 鈥淭he war will end when the hostages are back home.鈥
Israel ordered new evacuations in northern Gaza ahead of a wider military operation. On Monday, at least 20 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a seafront caf茅 in Gaza City, according to eyewitnesses and medics.
There are still around 50 Israeli hostages in Gaza, with at least 20 of them believed to be alive.
A senior Hamas official said last week that mediators have stepped up their efforts to reach a new ceasefire and hostage deal. However, they noted negotiations remain blocked.
Hamas continues to demand a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, whilst Israel has insisted the war can only end once Hamas is dismantled.
Israel鈥檚 war in Gaza began after the deadly Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Since then, over 56,600 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.