Cautious optimism about a ceasefire breakthrough in Gaza as Netanyahu visits us

Twenty-one months after the war, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, 21 months after the war, there is growing hope for a new Gaza ceasefire announcement.

Trump had previously told reporters that he had “very determined” with Netanyahu about ending the conflict and he believed we would “reach an agreement” this week.

“We are working to reach the deal we have discussed under the conditions of our agreement,” the senior Israeli prime minister said before boarding the plane. “I believe that a dialogue with President Trump can definitely help achieve this result, and we all want it.”

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas concerning the proposal to resume a 60-day ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Qatar on Sunday night.

However, it is not clear whether the key differences in a consensus agreement can be overcome.

During the daily Israel bombing, weary Palestinians living under terrible conditions expressed only cautious optimism, while Hamas still holds the distressed family of Israeli hostages.

“I don’t want a truce, but I’m going to stop all wars altogether. Frankly, I’m afraid the war will start again,” said Nabil Abu Dayah.

“We are tired of displacement, we are tired of desire and hunger because we live in a tent. When it comes to the necessities of life, our desire is zero.”

On Saturday night, a large rally urged the Israeli government to reach a deal to return 50 hostages from Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

Some relatives questioned why the framework deal would not release all prisoners immediately.

“How can a person survive in this situation in this situation? I’m waiting for Evyatar to come back and tell myself,” said Ilay David. His younger brother is a musician, filmed by Hamas as he watched his companions’ hostages released earlier this year during the last two months of ceasefire.

“It’s time to save lives. It’s time to save bodies from the threat of disappearance,” Eli told a group of people in Jerusalem.

“In the rapidly changing reality of the Middle East, it is the time to sign a comprehensive agreement that will lead to the release of all hostages without exception.”

Netanyahu will visit the White House for the third time since Trump returned to power nearly six months ago.

But leaders will meet for the first time since the United States joined the Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear site and then hold a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

There is a strong feeling that the recent 12-day war has created a more favorable environment to end the Gaza war.

After months of popular ratings, the Israeli Prime Minister has been supported by wide public support for the Iranian offensive, and analysts show he now has more leverage, agreeing to strong opposition to his far-right alliance partners who hope Israel can control Gaza.

Hamas is believed to have further weakened Hamas by its strike against Iran – a major regional patron – meaning it could also be more suitable for the concessions needed to reach a deal.

Meanwhile, Trump is eager to continue to enter other Middle East priorities.

These include brokerage border dialogue between Israel and Syria, return to normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and completing unfinished operations with Iran, involving negotiations on a new nuclear deal.

For months, the ceasefire dialogue between Israel and Hamas has been at a stalemate in a fundamental difference.

Israel is ready for a temporary truce to return to the hostages, but the war has not ended. Hamas demanded a permanent cessation of hostilities in Gaza and to go all out to Israeli forces.

The latest proposals to Hamas are said to include assurances of Washington’s commitment to the deal and continuing negotiations to reach a lasting ceasefire and the release of all hostages.

According to media reports, the framework will master Hamas’ 28 hostages in five stages in 60 days without a formally announced framework, but according to media reports, the framework will master Hamas’ 28 people in five stages in 60 days without a disturbing switch ceremony in the last ceasefire.

Humanitarian aid entering Gaza will surge dramatically.

Israeli troops will withdraw from parts of the north after the first day of the agreement, after the first eight living hostages returned. In a week, the army will leave parts of the south.

On Day 10, Hamas outlined which hostages are still alive and their status, and Israel will provide detailed information on the more than 2,000 Gaza people arrested during the war who remained in “administrative detention” which allows Israeli authorities to hold them without charges or trial.

As mentioned earlier, a large number of Palestinians will be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for hostages.

President Trump described it as a “final” armistice proposal and said last week that Israel accepted the “necessary conditions” to complete it.

On Friday, Hamas said it responded with a “positive spirit” but said it was reserved.

A Palestinian official said that in terms of humanitarian aid, a lasting view is still demanding that Hamas immediately end the controversial Israeli and U.S.-backed Humanitarian Foundation of Gaza (GHF) and return to the United Nations and its partners to oversee all relief efforts.

Hamas is also said to have questioned the timeline of the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the operation of Rafa crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt.

Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that the changes Hamas wanted were “unacceptable” to Israel.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly expressed the need to disarm Hamas, and the Islamic organization has so far refused the request for discussion.

According to the military, in Israel, there has been growing opposition in the Gaza war, with more than 20 soldiers killed in the past month.

Israeli military chief of staff Lieutenant El Zamir said last week it was close to the completion of its war goals and said the government must decide whether to move to a deal to take hostages home or prepare Israeli forces for rebuilding military rule in Gaza with Israeli forces.

Polls show two-thirds of Israelis support the ceasefire agreement to take hostages home.

In Gaza, some residents expressed concern that the current positive wave is being created to ease tensions during Netanyahu’s U.S. travel – rationalizing that this happened in May as Trump prepares to visit the Arab Gulf nation.

The following days will be crucial in both political and humanitarian terms.

The situation in Gaza continues to worsen, with medical staff reporting acute malnutrition in children.

The United Nations said that it has been in fact gone with no fuel in more than four months, threatening important medical services, water and telecommunications.

Israel retaliated against Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, launching a war in Gaza, killing about 1,200 people and causing 251 hostages to be taken.

According to Hamas-operated Health Ministry, more than 57,000 people have been killed in Gaza afterwards. The United Nations and others’ figures are cited as the most reliable source of statistics among casualties.