U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Washington early next week. “We’ll talk about Gaza and Iran,” the president told reporters when asked about the possibility of a ceasefire in the Strip. “We hope it happens. We expect it sometime next week. We want to bring the hostages home,” Trump added.
Hostage Deal
On the background of Trump’s remarks, sources involved in the negotiations say international mediation is progressing, with talks potentially launching in the coming days in hopes of achieving a political breakthrough that will lead to a hostage deal. According to the sources, the mediators are exploring ways to introduce softened language that would allow for flexibility regarding troop deployment, entry of humanitarian aid, and guarantees for a stable ceasefire.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum have spoken strongly in favor of a deal that includes everyone. “The era of partial deals is over,” they stated. According to them: “Soldiers should not continue to pay with their lives …no one should be left behind.”
The Tikva Forum, also representing hostages’ families, have been very vocal about not agreeing to any deal that does not return all hostages at once, believing that only military pressure should be used to bring Hamas to the table.
Israel: Hamas Refuses
Earlier today, Israeli ministers were informed that the Hamas terror organization continues to reject the proposed outline for the return of the hostages. The State of Israel has agreed to the updated Witkoff outline, while Hamas has refused the offer. Israeli officials vowed to act to bring the hostages home and defeat Hamas.
Dermer in Washington
Ahead of the upcoming meeting, Minister Ron Dermer is already in Washington, meeting with senior U.S. officials as part of the preparations for Netanyahu’s visit, in which the central issue is meant to be a possible hostage deal and a pathway to ending the fighting in Gaza. In Israel’s cabinet, the consensus that is emerging is that a deal must be pursued, and every diplomatic option to return the hostages must be exhausted. Within the defense establishment, there is growing opinion that further military action could endanger the hostages’ lives.
The New Plan: An Enhanced Witkoff Outline
According to the proposal under discussion, the Witkoff outline is being upgraded: in the first phase, 8 live hostages would be released, followed by 2 more on the 50th day. The mediators are now considering phrasing that would satisfy Hamas regarding a commitment that fighting will not resume after the ceasefire – without requiring a prior commitment to a complete end to the war.
