US president Donald Trump said on late Monday night that Hamas was eagerly seeking a ceasefire with Israel as the death toll was mounting in Gaza. Hamas has agreed to the ceasefire; however, the group has demanded certain guarantees from the negotiators, including that the proposed 60-day ceasefire would transform into a permanent one, which Israel said was not acceptable to them.
Trump said, “They (Hamas) want to meet and they want to have the ceasefire.”
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff also expressed optimism about a quick ceasefire.
Meanwhile, White House Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that Witkoff “will be travelling to Doha later this week” to participate in the mediation negotiations.
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Leavitt lauded Qatar and Egypt for being “incredibly helpful partners in mediating these negotiations and discussions to bring peace to the region and end the ongoing Gaza conflict once and for all.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he desires peace with Palestinians but rules out any future independent Palestinian state.
Trump also extended his support to Netanyahu, saying he wasn’t sure about the possibility of the two-state solution and then passed on the question to Netanyahu.
Netanyahu instead replied, "I think the Palestinians should have all the powers to govern themselves, but none of the powers to threaten us. That means a sovereign power, like overall security, will always remain in our hands."
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