Chicago – July 07, 2024
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet with President Trump on Monday, when they may announce a ceasefire deal for Gaza.
It will be Netanyahu’s first visit to the White House since the two leaders collaborated in an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities last month.
In the wake of the 12-day war that Israel fought against Iran, the main focus between the two leaders was expected to be how to wind down Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza that began close to two years ago. Netanyahu told reporters Sunday that there was an opportunity to forge new diplomatic ties with additional unspecified countries. Israel is reportedly seeking a security pact with its longtime enemy Syria.
Trump said last week on his social media site that Israel has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, and warned Hamas they had better accept it. Hamas this weekend voiced an initial positive response to the latest framework but said it needed to work out details before accepting.
Hamas triggered the current war when it attacked Israeli communities bordering the Gaza Strip in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. More than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel air strikes since then, the majority of them women and children, according to Gaza health officials, and Gaza’s towns have been left in ruins.
