As mediators gather in Cairo for a new round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations, President Donald Trump has urged all sides to “move fast,” warning that delay could lead to “massive bloodshed.”
The talks, brokered by Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish officials, come after Hamas signaled partial acceptance of a 20-point U.S. peace framework. The plan calls for the release of hostages, a phased Israeli withdrawal, and the transfer of Gaza’s administration to a council of Palestinian technocrats. But Hamas is pressing for further negotiation over disarmament and its political future in the enclave.
Trump, writing on social media, said the first phase “should be completed this week” and described progress as “very successful.” Speaking later to reporters, he predicted that hostages “would start to be freed very soon.” He dismissed suggestions of altering the U.S. proposal, calling it “a great deal for Israel, a great deal for the Arab and Muslim world—and the world itself.”
Despite the diplomatic movement, Israeli air strikes continued across Gaza through the weekend. An Israeli government spokesperson said no formal ceasefire had been declared, though “certain bombings have stopped.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she added, had ordered troops to “fire back for defensive purposes” if threatened on the ground.
Gaza’s health ministry reported another 65 deaths in the past 24 hours as explosions and tank fire echoed across Gaza City. Witnesses near the Israeli border described rising smoke and the sound of heavy bombardment early Sunday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to CBS News, said ending the bombing was critical to freeing hostages. “You can’t release hostages while bombardments are still going on,” he said.
Hamas’s decision to join the Cairo talks without its usual preconditions is seen by many observers as a sign of both pressure and pragmatism. A senior Palestinian official said mediators had persuaded the group to defer its “red lines”—such as control of Gaza and its weapons—for later discussion.
Still, for many Gazans, the urgency remains the same: every day lost to negotiation means more lives lost to war.
Africa Digital News, New York
