Key points
- 39 Palestinians were killed in Gaza City alone
- Survivors of Israeli strikes in Gaza City described “apocalyptic” scenes
- Trump says there is a “good chance” of reaching an agreement
ISLAMABAD: Israeli forces have killed at least 82 people across Gaza, including 39 in Gaza City alone, as United States President Donald Trump is expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
Donald Trump has said multiple times that he believed a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could happen this week.
According to Al Jazeera, survivors of the Israeli strikes in Gaza City described “apocalyptic” scenes on Sunday as residents in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood retrieved body parts of victims and scrambled to rescue those trapped under the rubble.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas began on Sunday evening in Doha, aiming to broker a ceasefire and reach an agreement on the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, AFP reported.
“Good chance”
Trump said Sunday there was a “good chance” of reaching 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,” he told journalists.
Netanyahu, speaking before boarding his flight to Washington on Sunday, said his meeting with Trump could “definitely help advance this” deal.
The US president is pushing for a truce in the Gaza Strip, plunged into a humanitarian crisis after nearly two years of war.
Netanyahu said he dispatched the team to Doha with “clear instructions” to reach an agreement “under the conditions that we have agreed to.”
He previously said Hamas’s response to a draft US-backed ceasefire proposal, conveyed through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, contained “unacceptable” demands.
60-day truce
Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.
However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel’s withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system.
“Important mission”
Netanyahu has an “important mission” in Washington, “advancing a deal to bring all our hostages home,” said Israeli President Isaac Herzog after meeting him Sunday.
Trump is not scheduled to meet the Israeli premier until 6:30 pm (2230 GMT) Monday, the White House said, without the usual presence of journalists.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas during the 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
