- Trump is reportedly pressuring Netanyahu to end Gaza war, with ceasefire talks stalled amid high-stakes White House meetings.
- U.S. envoy suggests a deal is close, but Netanyahu still insists on destroying Hamas first.
- U.N. report accuses Israel of killing aid workers and civilians, deepening global condemnation.
- Netanyahu faces U.S. pushback but refuses to halt military operations, risking political fallout.
- Gaza’s humanitarian crisis worsens with mass famine and displacement amid ongoing violence.
The fate of Gaza is up in the air this week as President Donald Trump applies unrelenting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the devastating war that has killed at least 57,575 Palestinians and displaced most of the enclave’s 2.1 million residents.
With ceasefire negotiations stalled, Trump hosted Netanyahu for two high-stakes meetings in 24 hours during the Israeli leader’s Washington visit, first at a White House dinner Monday night, then in closed-door Oval Office talks on Tuesday. The urgency is palpable: U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff claims a deal could be finalized within days, but Netanyahu insists Israel must "finish the job" by destroying Hamas and freeing hostages before halting operations.
Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna points to the fact that very little information has come out of the White House about the talks as a potential sign negotiations aren't faring well, cautioning, "But the fact that it was so hermetically sealed, the fact that there has been no clear readout of what was discussed, the fact that the meeting lasted just over an hour – all of it may indicate that there’s some kind of stumbling block, something that is clouding the optimistic position that the two leaders have adopted over the past 24 hours."
The mounting human toll has drawn global condemnation, with a previously unpublished U.N. report revealing that Israeli forces have killed at least 195 U.N. personnel and 172 of their dependents in Gaza, including children linked to UNICEF, WHO, and other aid agencies. Yet as Trump pushes for a diplomatic win to cement his legacy, his administration faces accusations of complicity in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.
"Tonight it will be heavy"
Sources close to the talks describe intense U.S. pressure on Netanyahu, with one telling Sky News: "The U.S. pressure on Israel has begun, and tonight it will be heavy." Trump’s rhetoric suggests frustration, but his actions tell a darker story. While publicly positioning himself as a peacemaker, Trump has repeatedly endorsed Netanyahu’s hardline agenda. Now, as Israel proposes forcibly relocating Gazans to "tent cities" (a plan watchdogs compare to concentration camps), Trump’s team has done little to intervene.
Netanyahu digs in
Despite Witkoff’s optimism in claiming that only one issue is still unresolved, Netanyahu remains defiant. "We have still to finish the job," he told reporters on Tuesday, vowing to eliminate Hamas and secure hostage releases first. His stance reflects domestic pressures: With far-right factions in the Netanyahu government demanding total victory, any premature ceasefire could collapse his coalition.
Yet Netanyahu’s inflexibility may backfire. Reports reveal that Egypt warned Israel before October 7 about impending Hamas attacks in intel that Netanyahu may have ignored. Now, with Hamas regrouping and the world growing increasingly sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians, a prolonged war risks isolating Israel even further.
Gaza’s agony
The human cost is staggering. Beyond Palestinian deaths, the U.N. warns that 500,000 people in Gaza face famine. Israel’s "24-hour evacuation orders" for northern Gaza are impossible for families under bombardment, yet noncompliance paints civilians as "Hamas shields." Meanwhile, Hamas reports 13 hostages dead and continues rocket attacks, ensuring a cycle of vengeance.
Without decisive U.S. action to halt Israel’s slaughter, Trump’s "peacemaker" legacy will be written in Palestinian blood.
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