US President Donald Trump has said that Hamas’ decision on a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza will be known within the next 24 hours.
He described the proposal as a final offer and expressed hope that it would pave the way for an end to the ongoing conflict in the region.
According to the news agency, President Trump, speaking to US media on Friday, said that discussions have also been held with Saudi Arabia on this issue to expand the scope of the Brahimi agreement. This agreement came about during his previous presidency to normalize relations between the Gulf countries and Israel.
President Trump had said a few days ago that Israel had accepted the terms of a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, and during this time the parties would negotiate a permanent ceasefire. However, when asked on Friday whether Hamas agreed to the proposal, he said, “We’ll see what happens, everything will be clear in the next 24 hours.”
According to sources close to Hamas, the organization has sought assurances in exchange for the proposal that the ceasefire will ultimately lead to an end to the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza. Israeli officials say that work is underway on the details of the agreement.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza remains dire. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023, leading to food shortages and mass displacement in the area. As a result of these attacks, cases have also been filed against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, accusing Israel of war crimes and genocide, which Israel denies.
On March 18 of this year, more than 400 Palestinians were killed when Israeli attacks began after a two-month ceasefire. President Trump has previously proposed taking control of Gaza under US control, which has been strongly criticized by the United Nations and human rights experts, including the Palestinians, calling it an attempt at “ethnic cleansing.”
Meanwhile, President Trump said that letters regarding tariffs will be sent to 10 to 12 countries on Friday, with the aim of strengthening economic ties at the international level.
During the discussion on the Brahimi agreement, President Trump said that he believes that many countries will soon become part of the agreement, especially after the damage caused to Iran by US and Israeli attacks. The discussion came after a meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman at the White House, which took place before Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington.