Trump pressuring Israel, Hamas to clinch deal by end of week — sources

Mediators in the ongoing negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal have been notified that US President Donald Trump expects them to secure an agreement this week, an Arab diplomat and a second individual involved in the talks tell The Times of Israel.

The message is being passed along to both Israel and Hamas, the two sources say, warning the sides against disappointing Trump.

The Arab diplomat says that progress was made during proximity talks that have been held over the past two days in Doha, particularly on the issue of humanitarian aid.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s operations will be significantly limited, if not ended completely, the Arab diplomat adds.

Hamas has demanded a surge of aid through the UN and other international organizations, which Israel has massively restricted, save for GHF.

The American aid organization has been criticized for forcing Gazans to walk long distances while crossing IDF lines — often coming under deadly fire as a result — in order to pick up boxes of food. Israel says the mechanism is necessary in order to prevent Hamas from diverting aid.

Negotiators in Doha have also discussed the exact parameters of Israel’s partial withdrawal from Gaza during the 60-day ceasefire under discussion, the Arab diplomat says, adding that Israeli officials came to Qatar with a map of the withdrawal that they envision.

While Hamas is demanding that Israel pull back to where its troops were stationed before the previous ceasefire began collapsing on March 2, the Arab diplomat says that the terror group has shown flexibility on this issue.

As for the core disagreement over whether the agreement will be temporary — as Israel seeks — or an effective end to the war — as Hamas demands — the two sources tell The Times of Israel that Trump will discuss the matter during his dinner tonight with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.