Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday for a pivotal meeting with US President Donald Trump, as indirect negotiations between the Zionist entity and Gaza’s Palestinian resistance movement Hamas resumed in Doha, Qatar.
The talks, brought on by US brokerage, aim to secure another captive-release and ceasefire deal that could mark a turning point in the nearly two-year genocidal war on the strip, even as loud voices in the Zionist far-right still call for the continuation of the monstrous and endlessly creative ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
According to reporting by Al-Akhbar, Netanyahu’s visit—his third to the White House since Trump’s return to office in January—comes amid intensified diplomatic activity. Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Netanyahu said he believed his discussions with Trump would help advance the ongoing negotiations in Doha, which began on Sunday, July 6, and continued into Monday.
The current US-backed proposal under discussion reportedly includes a 60-day truce, a phased release of Israeli captives, Israeli troop withdrawal from parts of Gaza, and negotiations aimed at ending the war entirely. A Palestinian source familiar with the talks said to Agence France-Presse that the initial proposal involves Hamas releasing half of the remaining Israeli captives in exchange for ‘Israel’ freeing several Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Hamas is demanding adjustments to the plan, including firm guarantees for a cessation of hostilities after the truce, clearer terms regarding the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) withdrawal from Gaza, and the restoration of humanitarian aid distribution to the United Nations and other recognized international organizations as opposed to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The organization has been accused recently of war crimes after video evidence has surfaced of its aid distribution centers operating as “killing fields”, to quote an occupation soldier who spoke to the press on the matter.
Talks in Doha
Netanyahu confirmed that his negotiating team had been sent to Doha “with clear instructions… to complete the agreement that was discussed, according to the terms we agreed to.” However, he rejected the changes sought by Hamas, calling them “unacceptable.”
A Zionist official cited by Al-Akhbar described the atmosphere at the Doha talks, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, as “positive,” though Palestinian officials said Sunday’s session ended without conclusive progress. Another of Israeli officials confirmed that humanitarian aid had been part of the discussions, but did not provide further details.
Earlier on Sunday Trump told reporters there was a “good chance” of securing an agreement within the week. “We’ve already been successful in getting a lot of the hostages out,” he said. “As far as the remaining hostages are concerned, a fair number of them will be out. We expect that to happen this week.”
Trump also welcomed Hamas’ “positive spirit” in responding to the proposed ceasefire.
“New Middle East”
For his part, Avi Dichter, an Israeli minister and member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, said the meeting would likely address broader regional diplomacy, including the potential normalization of relations with Lebanon, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. “I think it will first of all be focused on a term we have often used but now has real meaning—a ‘new Middle East,’” Dichter told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan on Monday.
‘Israel’ blatantly broke the last ceasefire agreement in March launching what it called operation “Gideon’s Chariots”, and despite multiple attempts, negotiations to restore it had remained fruitless until now. All the while the IOF have escalated their systematic targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and have severely limited access to humanitarian aid.
Around 50 Israeli captives are still believed to be in Gaza, with approximately 20 presumed alive. The Zionist entity’s subsequent genocidal campaign has killed over 57,000 Palestinians and wounded over 140 thousand. The number is even considered to be very conservative as many believe there are tens of thousands of bodies unaccounted for, either buried under rubble or in unmarked mass graves dug up by IOF bulldozers.
Nearly all of Gaza’s population has been displaced, and the United Nations estimates that close to half a million people face imminent famine.
Source: Al-Akhbar Newspaper and Agencies (translated and edited by Al-Manar English Website)
