Trump says Gaza ceasefire possible within week as Israeli forces kill over 56,000 including aid seekers

CAIRO – 28 June 2025: US President Donald Trump on Friday said he believes a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is possible within a week, while Israeli officials say ongoing talks with Hamas for a captive release agreement have shown no progress.

"I think it's close. I just spoke to some of the people involved," Trump said. "We think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire."

Trump claimed that the US recent attacks on nuclear sites in Iran has paved the way for “very good news” regarding the talks on Gaza.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday declared victory over the United Stated and Israel during the recent Iranian-Israeli war that started when Tel Aviv struck Iran’s nuclear and military sites and assassinated top military leaders and key scientists on 13… pic.twitter.com/j0FVcYjuxv

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) June 26, 2025

According to media reports, the latest ceasefire proposal includes the release of 28 captives, including 10 living ones, over one week, in exchange for the release of over 1,200 Palestinian prisoners and 180 bodies.

The deal also reportedly includes a ceasefire that continues for almost half of the day during these days, the repositioning of Israeli forces in the Netzarim corridor and northern Gaza, and negotiations for a ceasefire of up to additional two months.

Hamas reportedly accepts the agreement but said it seeks guarantees to avoid the resumption of the Israeli war immediately after the ceasefire expires, as done by Israeli forces after the past ceasefire that ended on 1 March and led to the release of dozens of captives.

Trump’s remarks come amid recent reports that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed on ending the war in Gaza as soon as within two weeks and the expansion of the so-called Abraham Accords between Israel and more Arab nations.

❝Read the report on the matter, from here.❞

 

The reports about a possible deal in the near future also comes while Netanyahu is considering a visit to Washington to meet with Trump, with the Gaza war expected to be high on agenda.

However, senior Israeli officials involved in the Gaza ceasefire talks, were quoted by Ynet News, as saying that they do not recognize any basis for Trump’s optimism regarding a possible deal.

Israel forces continue to kill dozens of civilians in Gaza every day since the start of the war on 7 October 2023, including aid seekers.

Israeli soldiers have told Haaretz they were instructed to open fire on unarmed Palestinian civilians who were desperately seeking assistance at designated aid distribution points in Gaza.

This revelation comes as recent violence killed around 70 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, primarily at sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, late last week.

"We communicate with them through fire," one of the soldiers remarked, detailing the use of heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and mortars against individuals, including the elderly, women, and children.

Over the past 20 months, the Israeli forces have killed more than 56,400 Palestinians in Gaza, injured over 133,000 more, devastated vital infrastructure, flattened homes and left the enclave on brink of famine.