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

U.S. President Donald Trump says Israel has agreed ‘on terms for a new 60-day ceasefire with Hamas and that Washington would work with both sides during that time to try to end more than 20 months of war in Gaza.Neither side has accepted the proposal announced on Tuesday (July 1, 2025) by Mr. Trump, who has admonished Hamas that if the militant group does not buy into the offer, its prospects will get worse. It's not clear what conditions Israel agreed to. The efforts to reach a truce are unfolding in the wake of powerful Israeli and American strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, which has long supported Hamas, and just days before Mr. Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.

- GNS News Agency, July 11

Here's a look at the situation and the challenges it might present.Details of the proposed ceasefire are just beginning to emerge. But rather than being completely new, the potential deal seems to be a somewhat modified version of a framework proposed earlier this year by Mr. Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.Mr. Trump said on Tuesday in a social media post that Qatar and Egypt have been working on the details and would deliver a final proposal to Hamas.An Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire talks told The Associated Press that the proposal calls for Hamas to release 10 more hostages during the two-month period — eight on the first day and two on the final day. During that period, Israel would withdraw troops from some parts of Gaza and allow badly needed aid into the territory. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. The group is believed to still have some 50 hostages, with fewer than half of them thought to be alive.