President Donald Trump says a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could potentially be reached within the next week, as U.S. mediation efforts intensify.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that a ceasefire agreement to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza could potentially be achieved “within the next week.”
Speaking to reporters during an Oval Office event marking a Congo-Rwanda accord, Trump said he had spoken with people involved in the mediation efforts.
“I think it’s close, I just spoke with some of the people involved, and it’s a terrible situation that’s going on in Gaza,” Trump said. “We think within the next week, we’re going to get a cease-fire.”
The Trump administration has been working to secure a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas, who have been in conflict since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a large-scale attack on southern Israel, prompting Israeli retaliatory operations in Gaza.
On May 31, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, urged Hamas to accept a proposed framework as the basis for proximity talks. He said the deal could pave the way for a 60-day pause in fighting and the release of hostages.
“That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days in which half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased will come home to their families and in which we can have at the proximity talks substantive negotiations in good faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire,” Witkoff said in a statement.
The proposal would see Hamas release 10 living Israeli hostages and the remains of 18 deceased hostages. In return, Israel would release 125 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,111 Palestinian detainees arrested after the October 7 attack.
Israel has approved the U.S. proposal. Hamas, however, responded with a counterproposal seeking a permanent ceasefire, a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and unimpeded humanitarian aid access. The group said it would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 more in exchange for “an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners.”
Witkoff called Hamas’s response “totally unacceptable” and said it “only takes us backward.”
The proposed deal follows a previous six-week truce that ended in March. Since then, Israel has resumed airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza and tightened restrictions on aid deliveries, accusing Hamas of stealing supplies.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned “foreigners who commit evil” have no place in the Gulf, outlining a “new phas...
A freight train carrying Russian grain and fertiliser has departed Azerbaijan for Armenia, continuing transit flows across the South Caucasus....
China has passed a new law aimed at ensuring its most vulnerable citizens are not left without support....
Tashkent hosted the INMerge Innovation Summit Roadshow, bringing together start-ups, investors and technology leaders to explore the future of Cent...
A European Parliament resolution on Armenia is stirring debate beyond Brussels, with its wording raising concerns in Azerbaijan as peace talks gath...
The U.S. war in Iran has cost $25 billion so far, a senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday (29 April), offering the first official estimate of the military’s price tag for the conflict. The sum is equivalent to NASA’s entire budget for this year.
Iran could lose up to $435 million in oil exports due to a U.S. naval blockade, though a full institutional collapse remains unlikely, according to a geopolitical researcher.
King Charles III told the U.S. Congress that despite rising tensions in Europe and the Middle East, the United Kingdom and United States remain united in defending democracy, even as divisions grow over the war with Iran.
According to U.S. media, Cole Tomas Allen, aged 31, carried guns and knives while he attempted to storm the White House Correspondents' Dinner in the Hilton Washington hotel on Saturday, 25 April 2026.
A report published by Minval Politika has raised new questions over alleged efforts by Luis Moreno Ocampo to shape international pressure against Azerbaijan and influence political dynamics around Armenia.
A Pentagon official provided the first official estimate of the cost of the U.S. war in Iran on Wednesday (29 April), telling lawmakers that $25 billion had so far been spent on the conflict, most of it on munitions. Earlier, Donald Trump said that the U.S. had "militarily defeated" Tehran.
Shares in Meta Platforms fell sharply in extended trading on Wednesday after the tech giant raised its annual capital spending forecast by billions of dollars.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned “foreigners who commit evil” have no place in the Gulf, outlining a “new phase” for the Strait of Hormuz, while a senior adviser said U.S. blockade efforts would fail and could trigger confrontation.
The decision by the United Arab Emirates to leave OPEC+ on 1 May has put renewed focus on one of the most influential groups in global energy - and how its decisions can shape oil prices worldwide.
China has passed a new law aimed at ensuring its most vulnerable citizens are not left without support.
China has warned the U.S. that Taiwan will dominate next month’s summit in Beijing, raising pressure on Washington and concern in Taipei over any shift in long-standing American policy.
Shares in Meta Platforms fell sharply in extended trading on Wednesday after the tech giant raised its annual capital spending forecast by billions of dollars.
From Thursday, 1 May, goods from every African country with diplomatic ties to China will be able to enter the Chinese market without paying import duties.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 30th of April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment