US president hopes for truce in Gaza 'sometime next week'

The United States is pushing for a truce in Gaza by “sometime next week,” US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.

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The Republican leader was asked by reporters if a ceasefire in the devastating war between Israel and Palestinians could be in place before a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, set for July 7.

“We hope it’s going to happen, and we're looking for it to happen sometime next week,” Trump responded as he departed Washington for Florida. The swift resolution of Israel's 12-day war with Iran has revived hopes for a halt to the fighting in Gaza, where more than 20 months of combat 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.

The Red Cross said it was deeply worried on Tuesday as Israel's military expanded its operations in Gaza, warning that the Palestinian territory's few functioning medical facilities were already overwhelmed.

“The International Committee of the Red Cross is deeply alarmed by the intensifying hostilities in Gaza City and Jabaliya, which have reportedly caused dozens of deaths and injuries among civilians over the past 36 hours,” the ICRC said in a statement.

Israel's military said Tuesday that it had expanded its operations in Gaza, where residents reported come under fierce gunfire and shelling.