Trump: Israel has agreed to terms for a 60-day Gaza truce

US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Israel has "agreed to the terms necessary for a 60-day truce with Hamas in Gaza, paving the way for an end to the war. He urged the movement to accept this "final proposal," which Cairo and Doha are currently working on.

Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that following a "lengthy and productive meeting" between US and Israeli officials in Washington, "Israel has agreed to the terms necessary for a 60-day ceasefire. During this time, we will work with all parties to end the war."

He added that "the Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked tirelessly to contribute to peace, will present this final proposal."

The US president continued, "I hope, for the sake of the Middle East, that Hamas accepts this agreement, because it will not improve, it will only get worse." Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer held talks in Washington on Tuesday with several senior White House officials.

These talks coincided with the Israeli military's announcement on Tuesday that it was expanding its operations in Gaza, where the Civil Defense reported that at least 26 people had been killed, nearly half of them while waiting for food aid.

These developments come days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington.

On Tuesday, Trump confirmed that he would be "very firm" with Netanyahu regarding a ceasefire, noting that "he (Netanyahu) wants that too."

In response to a question about his stance toward Netanyahu during his upcoming visit to Washington on Monday, Trump said he would be "very firm, very firm" with his guest.

However, he indicated that "he (Netanyahu) wants that too," meaning a ceasefire, and that "he will be here next week. He also wants to get this thing over with."

In a conversation with reporters, the US president was asked whether a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached before Netanyahu's visit. He replied, "We hope to reach that, and we hope it will happen in the middle of next week."

The ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel after a 12-day war raised hopes for an end to the fighting in Gaza, where more than 20 months of fighting have created catastrophic humanitarian conditions for the Strip's more than two million residents.

Trump stated on Friday that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was "coming soon."

The war in Gaza erupted following Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

The Israeli military operation in response resulted in the deaths of 56,647 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.