United States President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could be reached “within the next week”, even as Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza continues, with at least 14 people killed in recent attacks across the besieged enclave since dawn.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said he believed a truce was close after discussions with unnamed parties.
“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.”
A spokesperson for Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who was involved in earlier truce efforts, said they had “no information to share” regarding Trump’s ceasefire prediction.
Read: 62 killed in Gaza
Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer is expected in Washington next week for meetings with Trump officials to discuss Gaza, Iran, and a possible White House visit by Netanyahu.
However, Trump had already suggested progress during a NATO summit earlier this week in The Hague, where he met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
At the time, he said: “I think great progress is being made on Gaza… I think we’re going to have some very good news.” He also said his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, had told him “Gaza is very close” to an agreement.
In parallel, a senior Hamas official also stated that negotiations had gained momentum, pointing to an active diplomatic track.
Hamas, for its part, demands a halt to Israeli attacks, withdrawal of troops from seized areas in Gaza, and US guarantees to prevent future ceasefire breaches.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.
The Gaza Government Media Office said Israeli soldiers were “ordered to deliberately shoot” starving Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid, a claim first reported by Israeli media.
The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said that aid distribution centres operated by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) had effectively become a “killing field”.
Read more: UN chief slams US-backed Gaza aid plan
Israeli attacks hit shelters for displaced in Gaza
At least eight people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Osama Bin Zaid School in Saftawi, north of Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. The school was reportedly housing displaced civilians at the time of the attack.
Earlier in the day, another Israeli strike targeted tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, killing at least six people. Al Jazeera, citing medical sources at Nasser Hospital, said one of the tents belonged to the Abu Taima family.
The attacks come amid widespread displacement and severe food shortages.
Israel’s war on Gaza
The Israeli army has launched a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing at least 61,709 Palestinians, including 17,492 children. More than 111,588 people have been injured, and over 14,222 are missing and presumed dead.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
