WASHINGTON, July 7 (TNF): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday. Trump said he hopes for a deal “this week” between Israel and Hamas that would secure the release of hostages from Gaza.
Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas began Sunday evening in Doha. Mediators aim to reach a ceasefire and arrange a swap of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Trump told reporters on Sunday there is a “good chance” of an agreement.
“We’ve gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out,” Trump said.
Before boarding his flight to Washington, Netanyahu said his meeting with Trump could “definitely help advance this” deal.
He said he sent the team to Doha with “clear instructions” to reach an agreement “under the conditions that we have agreed to.” Netanyahu has rejected some of Hamas’s demands as “unacceptable.”
Two Palestinian sources told AFP that the proposal includes a 60-day truce. Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies. In return, Israel would free Palestinian prisoners.
The sources said Hamas also wants conditions for Israel’s withdrawal, guarantees against resumed fighting, and the return of UN-led aid distribution.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Netanyahu’s “important mission” is to advance a deal and bring all hostages home.
The White House said Trump will meet Netanyahu at 6:30 p.m. (3:30 a.m. PKT) on Monday. Journalists will not be present at the meeting.
Of the 251 hostages Hamas took during the 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza. The Israeli military says 27 of them are dead.
Mediators have brokered two temporary truces since October 2023. Both led to hostage-prisoner exchanges. But efforts for a new truce have failed so far. The main hurdle is Israel’s rejection of Hamas’s demand for a lasting ceasefire.
In Gaza on Sunday, Israeli forces killed 26 people, including 10 in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan area, the civil defence agency said.
“We are losing young people, families and children every day, and this must stop now,” said Sheikh Radwan resident Osama al-Hanawi. “Enough blood has been shed.”
The Israeli military declined to comment on specific strikes without exact coordinates.
The offensive has created a humanitarian crisis for Gaza’s two million people.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the U.S. and Israel, took over food distribution in late May. This followed Israel’s easing of a blockade on aid.
The GHF’s efforts have been chaotic. Many people have been killed while waiting for food.
UN agencies and major aid groups refuse to work with the GHF. They believe it serves Israeli military goals.
The UN human rights office said over 500 people have died waiting for food at GHF sites. Gaza’s health ministry puts the toll at 751.
At least 57,418 people have died in Gaza during Israel’s offensive.
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