Gaza Ceasefire: US President Donald Trump optimistic about the Israel Hamas ceasefire agreement

New Delhi (India) June 28: US President Donald Trump said he has hopes that a ceasefire in Gaza could be passed soon and that an agreement between Israel and Hamas might be reached as early as next week.

He said, “We think within the next week, we're going to get a ceasefire” when asked about the possibility of ending the fighting in Palestine.

Trump's call for a ceasefire coincides with an increase in Israeli military fatalities in Gaza. There has been a growing international outrage over Israel's war after the most recent disclosure that troops said they were told to shoot unarmed Palestinian civilians in the area who were requesting humanitarian aid.

Gazan authorities claimed that the Haaretz media outlet's revelation that Israeli commanders ordered the intentional murder of malnourished Palestinians was more evidence of Israel's "war crimes" in the war-torn region.

The Health Ministry of Gaza has stated that since late May, about 550 Palestinians have been murdered close to assistance distribution stations in Gaza that are supported by the United States and Israel. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have denied the report that commanders are targeting civilians. 

This comes months after former US President Joe Biden handed the power to Donald Trump and the US mediated a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the beginning of this year.

Israel and Hamas announced a phased ceasefire in January of this year. But in March, Israel announced the ceasefire to be over and resumed its bombardment of Gaza.

After the ceasefire broke down, Israel also prevented food and other necessities from entering Gaza for nearly two months, which sparked fears of an impending famine.

Israel has restored a limited flow of aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in recent weeks. The GHF is a U.S.-backed procedure that involves American security contractors helping Israeli troops on Gaza's borders.

The United States stated on Thursday that $30 million in approved cash would be used to help the effort.

The conflict started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel with deadly precision. Since then, Gaza has seen serious humanitarian disasters and extensive destruction.

Aadrika Tayal