KEY POINTS
- Israeli PM Netanyahu is set to visit Washington on July 7.
- Trump will discuss Gaza and Iran with Netanyahu
- Hamas is ready to agree to the proposal if it will lead to a permanent ceasefire
- Israel has expanded its military operations in Gaza, with reports of fierce shelling
- Gaza’s civil defence reported multiple fatalities near aid centres
- Eight people killed while trying to access food amid Israeli attacks
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he hopes a ceasefire in Gaza will be reached “sometime next week,” ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.
Trump said the issue would be a key topic of discussion during Netanyahu’s trip, along with recent developments in Iran.
The US President was asked by reporters if a ceasefire in the devastating war between Israel and Hamas could be in place before a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, set for July 7.
“We hope (a ceasefire) is going to happen and we’re looking for it to happen sometime next week,” Trump told reporters before departing the White House for the opening of a temporary migrant detention centre in Florida.
The swift resolution of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran has revived hopes for a halt to Israel’s relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza, where more than 20 months of fighting have created dire humanitarian conditions for the population of more than two million.
Trump has previously urged Israel to “make the deal in Gaza,” but on the ground, Israel has continued to pursue its offensive across the Palestinian territory.
Hamas ready for ceasefire
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP the group is “ready to agree to any proposal if it will lead to an end to the war and a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of occupation forces”.
“So far, there has been no breakthrough.”
The US President’s remarks came after Netanyahu confirmed that he will visit Washington next week for talks with US officials.
“I am due to leave next week for meetings in the US with US President Donald Trump,” Netanyahu said in a statement ahead of a Cabinet meeting.
Netanyahu said he will also meet with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
“We have several items to close beforehand in order to reach the trade agreement and several additional matters; meetings with Congressional and Senate leaders and security meetings, which I will not detail here,” Netanyahu said.
Israel intensifies campaign in Gaza
Meanwhile, Israel’s military said Tuesday that it had expanded its operations in Gaza, where residents reported fierce gunfire and shelling.
The intensified operations came after days of mounting calls for a ceasefire, with Trump among those urging Israel to strike a new deal to halt the war and bring home the hostages still held in Gaza.
On Tuesday, Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that Israeli forces killed 17 people.
The Israeli military said Tuesday morning that in recent days it had “expanded its operations to additional areas within the Gaza Strip.
Aid seekers killed
Gaza’s civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that eight people were killed near aid distribution sites in central and southern Gaza Tuesday, in the latest in a long-running spate of deadly attacks on those seeking food.
One person was killed and 50 wounded when tanks and drones opened fire as crowds were waiting to collect aid near the Wadi Gaza Bridge in the middle of the territory, Bassal said.
The civil defence said another six people were killed nearby while trying to reach the same aid centre.
The Israeli military told AFP its forces “fired warning shots to distance suspects who approached the troops”, adding it was not aware of any injuries but would review the incident.
At least one more person was killed near another aid centre in Rafah, the civil defence said.
Deadly aid distribution scheme
A group of 169 aid organisations called Monday for an end to Gaza’s “deadly” new US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution scheme, which they said forced starving civilians to “trek for hours through dangerous terrain and active conflict zones, only to face a violent, chaotic race” for food.
They urged a return to the UN-led aid mechanism that existed until March, when Israel imposed a full blockade on humanitarian assistance entering Gaza during an impasse in truce talks with Hamas.
The new scheme’s administrator, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has distanced itself from reports of aid seekers being killed near its centres.
The Israeli army said it had also opened a review into a strike on a seafront Gaza cafe on Monday.
The civil defence agency reported that the attack killed 24 people.
Maher Al-Baqa, 40, the brother of the owner of the cafe, told AFP that several of his relatives, including two nephews, were killed in the strike.
The military maintained it had taken steps “to mitigate the risk of harming civilians using aerial surveillance”.
