Trump says deal for ceasefire in Gaza is closer after Israel agrees on terms

U.S. President Donald Trump says Israel has agreed connected presumption for a caller 60-day ceasefire with Hamas and that Washington would enactment with some sides during that clip to effort to extremity much than 20 months of warfare successful Gaza.

Neither broadside has accepted the connection announced connected Tuesday (July 1, 2025) by Mr. Trump, who has admonished Hamas that if the militant radical does not bargain into the offer, its prospects volition get worse. It's not wide what conditions Israel agreed to.

The efforts to scope a truce are unfolding successful the aftermath of almighty Israeli and American strikes connected atomic sites successful Iran, which has agelong supported Hamas, and conscionable days earlier Mr. Trump is scheduled to conscionable with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu successful Washington.

Here's a look astatine the concern and the challenges it mightiness present.

Details of the projected ceasefire are conscionable opening to emerge. But alternatively than being wholly new, the imaginable woody seems to beryllium a somewhat modified mentation of a model projected earlier this twelvemonth by Mr. Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Mr. Trump said connected Tuesday successful a societal media station that Qatar and Egypt person been moving connected the details and would present a last connection to Hamas.

An Egyptian authoritative progressive successful the ceasefire talks told The Associated Press that the connection calls for Hamas to merchandise 10 much hostages during the two-month play — 8 connected the archetypal time and 2 connected the last day. During that period, Israel would retreat troops from immoderate parts of Gaza and let severely needed assistance into the territory.

The warfare began connected Oct. 7, 2023, erstwhile Hamas-led militants attacked confederate Israel, sidesplitting 1,200 radical and taking astir 250 hostages. The radical is believed to inactive person immoderate 50 hostages, with less than fractional of them thought to beryllium alive.

The Egyptian official, speaking connected information of anonymity due to the fact that helium was not authorised to speech to reporters, said a sticking constituent implicit however assistance would beryllium distributed had been resolved with Israel.

He said some sides person agreed that the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent would pb assistance operations and that the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund would besides proceed to operate.

The unraveling of Iran’s determination web of proxies, capped by the stroke inflicted connected Iran during the caller 12-day warfare with Israel, has near Hamas weaker and much isolated successful the region. Iran was a cardinal backer of the militant group, but its power has waned, and it's present preoccupied with its ain problems.

At the aforesaid time, Mr. Trump has made it wide to Israel that helium wants to spot the Israel-Hamas warfare extremity soon. While helium has been supportive of Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Trump had pugnacious words for Israel successful the opening hours of past week's ceasefire with Iran, erstwhile helium pressured Israel to standard backmost its effect to an Iranian rocket attack. That could assistance transportation Hamas to clasp a deal.

A diplomat briefed connected the talks said determination is present a “big opportunity” to scope an agreement. “The indications we’re getting are radical are ready.”

He said Mr. Trump’s harsh speech toward Israel has “given a spot of assurance to Hamas” that the U.S. volition warrant immoderate aboriginal woody and forestall a instrumentality to fighting. The diplomat spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that helium was discussing behind-the-scenes diplomatic contacts.

The Egyptian authoritative said Israel has not yet agreed to a connection to retreat its forces to positions held successful aboriginal March aft a erstwhile ceasefire officially expired. Since then, the Israeli Army has seized ample swaths of Gaza to enactment unit connected Hamas, and it's not wide whether Israel is acceptable to instrumentality to those aforesaid positions.

An Israeli authoritative characterised the statement arsenic a 60-day woody that would see a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge successful humanitarian assistance to the territory.

The mediators and the U.S. would supply assurances astir talks connected ending the war, but Israel is not committing to that arsenic portion of the latest proposal, said the official, who was not authorised to sermon the details of the woody with the media and spoke connected information of anonymity.

The Egyptian authoritative said Hamas volition person to reappraisal the connection with different factions earlier submitting an authoritative response.

One constituent that does look to person been ironed retired is the question of who volition administer Gaza.

Israel has said Hamas cannot tally the territory, and the Egyptian authoritative said the connection would alternatively enactment Gaza nether a radical of Palestinians without governmental affiliations known arsenic the Community Support Committee erstwhile a ceasefire is reached.

Potentially complicating the effort, Mr. Netanyahu reiterated his hard-line presumption Wednesday, vowing that “there volition beryllium nary Hamas” pursuing the 60-day ceasefire plan.

A erstwhile ceasefire agreed to successful January established 3 phases, but the 2 sides ne'er made it past signifier one.

During that time, however, determination were aggregate exchanges of Hamas-held hostages for prisoners held by Israel, and captious humanitarian assistance was capable to scope Gaza.

When signifier 1 expired connected March 1, Israel sought to widen it portion Hamas argued that signifier 2 should spell up arsenic planned.

The 2nd signifier would person compelled Hamas to merchandise each the remaining surviving hostages successful speech for much Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a afloat Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

That was ever seen arsenic difficult, due to the fact that it would person forced Israel to take betwixt its 2 main warfare goals — the harmless instrumentality of the hostages and the annihilation of Hamas.

On March 18, Israel broke the ceasefire with caller airstrikes and resumed hostilities.

In Gaza, residents expressed anticipation that this time, a ceasefire volition bring an extremity to the war.

“We are earnestly tired,” said Asmaa al-Gendy, who has been surviving successful a structure campy successful Deir al Balah with her 2 children. The household has been displaced and starved and endured "every signifier of torture successful the world.”