Trump vows to be 'very tough' on Israel, warns Hamas to avoid 'worse' scenario

In a social media post, President Trump said: "Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to complete a 60-day ceasefire, during which time we will work with all parties to end the war."

“The Qatari and Egyptian sides, who have worked very hard to help bring peace, will pass on this final proposal. I hope that, for the good of the Middle East, Hamas will accept this agreement, because the situation will not get better – it will only get worse,” he added.

On the same day, Mr. Trump also informed reporters that he planned to meet Mr. Netanyahu on July 7 at the White House. He said he would be “very firm” with the Israeli leader on the need for a quick ceasefire in Gaza, noting that Mr. Netanyahu himself wanted it.

"We hope it will happen. And we expect it to happen sometime next week," he told reporters as he left the White House for Florida. "We want to get the hostages out."

Diplomatic moves are underway. A senior Israeli official, Ron Dermer, was in Washington this week for talks to prepare for the summit. According to an Israeli official, Dermer was scheduled to meet with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.

The relationship between Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu has recently strengthened after the two leaders collaborated on a military campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, culminating in airstrikes by US B-2 bombers. Mr Trump claimed the strikes “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear capabilities, although the actual extent of the damage remains a matter of debate.

Currently, ceasefire negotiations in Gaza remain fraught with major obstacles. Hamas has said it is willing to release the remaining hostages in any deal to end the war, while Israel says the war can only end if Hamas is disarmed and eliminated. Hamas refuses to lay down its weapons.

The war in Gaza broke out when Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.

Gaza Health Authority says Israel's military response since October 7 has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians. The offensive has also triggered a famine crisis, displaced Gaza's entire population and led to charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice and war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the charges.