Khaberni -US President Donald Trump said on Monday, "We are doing well in Gaza," and that "we may have something to talk about soon."
It is noted that three weeks ago, Trump predicted that the ceasefire would come into effect "next week," which is the first week of July, coinciding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House, with no agreement reached so far.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump described Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 as "one of the worst real estate deals ever," something Trump had not spoken about in the past.
Trump said: "They gave up the property overlooking the ocean (referring to the Mediterranean Sea)... it was supposed to achieve peace... but it did the opposite."
Trump stated on Sunday that he hopes to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas soon.
Trump told reporters at Andrews Joint Base in Maryland: "Gaza - we are talking, and we hope to resolve the matter within the next week."
Trump had previously announced that Israel had accepted the necessary conditions for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, through the proposal presented by Qatar and Egypt to Hamas.
Hamas responded positively, stating they are ready to move forward in negotiations to implement the ceasefire and prisoner exchange.
Despite Israel's claims that Hamas' amendments to the Qatari proposal were unacceptable, its delegation traveled to Doha for talks.
The negotiations in Doha focused on a temporary ceasefire for 60 days, the release of 10 living Israeli prisoners and 18 deceased, and discussions on a permanent truce. While reports indicated that many issues had been resolved, the main sticking point remained Israel's insistence on maintaining control over a buffer zone around Gaza.
Even if a ceasefire is reached, Netanyahu intends to continue the Israeli military presence in Rafah and establish a "collection camp" as part of his goal to deport Palestinians to other countries.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described this "city" as a concentration camp, comparing it to the detention of Jews in Nazi Germany.
American and Israeli officials expressed optimism last week about the chances of reaching an imminent agreement, although negotiations remained stuck over the past four days regarding the scope of the Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
Netanyahu, who met twice last week in the White House with Trump and his officials, insisted that the war cannot end until Hamas loses its military or civilian capabilities and until Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel. Netanyahu pledged to achieve these goals and return all fifty hostages, twenty of whom are believed to be alive and still held in the sector.
According to experts, Netanyahu’s public statements that an agreement is possible and imminent were made to ease the pressure on him, but it seems to be merely a stalling tactic.
Experts suggest that Netanyahu's lifelong political priority has focused on staying in power, using all available means to achieve this goal. Since the beginning of the current war on Gaza, following the attack on October 7, 2023, Netanyahu saw the war as an irreplaceable opportunity to overcome domestic opposition and the administration of former President Joe Biden, which opposed his formation of a right-wing extremist government and boycotted him until the war began in October 2023. As stated by the "New York Times" (Friday, 11/7/2025) in a lengthy article titled "How Netanyahu Prolongs the War to Stay in Power," based on documents and statements by Netanyahu and Israeli officials, this is further evidence of Netanyahu's determination to achieve this goal.
It is also clear that the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza face "stumbling" due to Israel's insistence on presenting a withdrawal map, which would keep about 40 percent of the sector under its military control. Netanyahu hinted at this when he denounced on Sunday (13/7) the criticism related to the ceasefire negotiations and the release of detainees in Gaza. In response to reports that his government rejected the deal, Netanyahu criticized news channels claiming they echoed (Hamas) propaganda, stating that he accepted the deal; the deal (by American envoy) Steve Whitcov was rejected by Hamas, indicating that Netanyahu does not agree with Trump or Whitcoff on the nearness of the agreement.
Israeli sources reported that Netanyahu was preventing a breakthrough before the Knesset recess, which runs from July 27 to October 19, 2025, as it is difficult to dissolve the parliament during that period. The extreme right-wing wing of his coalition strongly opposes ending the war with Hamas continuing to control Gaza, threatening to withdraw over this issue, risking Netanyahu's loss of power.
