U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Wednesday, the White House announced, as Washington intensifies efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas.
The leaders will dine at the White House on Wednesday evening, according to the president’s official schedule. The meeting comes as ceasefire negotiations continue in Doha, where Israeli and Hamas delegations have been discussing a U.S.-backed proposal since July 6. The proposal includes a 60-day truce, a phased release of hostages, partial Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza, and future talks aimed at ending the conflict.
President Trump said on Sunday that he hoped a ceasefire agreement could be “straightened out” this week. His Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, also expressed optimism about the progress of the Qatar-hosted talks, with Qatar playing a central role alongside Egyptian and American mediators.
Despite ongoing negotiations, significant divisions remain between Israel and Hamas, particularly over the scope of an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
The current conflict began in October 2023 when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. In response, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that over 58,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began. The offensive has displaced the entire population of Gaza, created a severe hunger crisis, and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes being brought against Israel at international courts—allegations Israel strongly denies.
A previous two-month ceasefire collapsed on March 18 after Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed more than 400 Palestinians in a single day. Earlier this year, President Trump proposed a U.S.-led administration of Gaza—a plan widely condemned by international human rights experts, the United Nations, and Palestinian officials as tantamount to “ethnic cleansing.”
In addition to Gaza, Trump and the Qatari prime minister are expected to discuss the potential resumption of nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th of August, covering the latest developments. ...
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
South Korea estimates North Korea possesses between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, its defence minister said on Thursday, citing a range significantly higher than U.S. President Donald Trump's recent assertion that Pyongyang has 57 nuclear weapons.
Russian ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has killed at least twelve people and injured more than two dozen others, Ukrainian officials said, with fires reported across the city and Poland activating defensive air operations.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th of August, covering the latest developments.
Britain has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires and demanded that the Israeli government withdraw a tender for construction in the controversial E1 settlement area in the West Bank.
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