President Trump on Sunday pleaded for progress in ceasefire talks that would halt the fighting in the 20-month-long conflict in Gaza. The call for a deal came as the Israeli military ordered a new mass evacuation in northern Gaza amid its escalating attacks on the territory.
“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” Mr. Trump wrote early Sunday on his social media platform, Truth Social, in between posts about a Senate vote on his tax and spending cuts bill.
Mr. Trump raised expectations on Friday when he told reporters in the Oval Office that there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week.
“We’re working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.”
Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images 
A top adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Cabinet Minister Ron Dermer, was set to travel to Washington this week for talks on a ceasefire, an Israeli official said.
The official said plans were also being made for Netanyahu to travel to Washington in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a new deal. The official declined to discuss the focus of the visit and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that had not yet been finalized.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly called for Israel and Hamas to end the nearly two-year war in the Gaza Strip. Despite an eight-week ceasefire reached just as Mr. Trump took office in January, attempts to bring the sides toward a new agreement have failed, faltering over one major sticking point: whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire agreement.
Mahmoud Merdawi, a Hamas official, accused Netanyahu of stalling progress on a deal, saying in remarks on the Telegram messaging app that the Israeli leader insists on a temporary agreement that would free just 10 of the hostages.
Netanyahu spokesperson Omer Dostri said: “Hamas was the only obstacle to ending the war,” without addressing Merdawi’s claim.
Abdalhkem Abu Riash/Anadolu via Getty Images 
Hamas says it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and an end to the war. Israel rejects that offer, saying it will agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something the group refuses.
The war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostage, about 50 of whom remain captive, with less than half believed to be alive.
Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry on Sunday said an additional 88 people were killed by Israeli fire over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 56,500 in over 20 months of fighting. The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians in their count but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
Jehad Alshrafi / AP 
The Israeli military on Sunday ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians in large swaths of northern Gaza. Col. Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, posted the order on social media. It includes multiple neighborhoods in eastern and northern Gaza City, as well as the Jabaliya refugee camp.
Trump slams Netanyahu corruption trial
The Gaza message wasn’t the only Middle East-related post by Mr. Trump this weekend. On Saturday evening, he doubled down on his criticism of the legal proceedings against Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption, calling it “a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure.” It comes just days after the president intervened to support Netanyahu’s attack on Iran’s nuclear program, using special U.S. bunker buster bombs.
In the post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said the trial interfered with talks on a Gaza ceasefire.
“(Netanyahu) is right now in the process of negotiating a Deal with Hamas, which will include getting the Hostages back. How is it possible that the Prime Minister of Israel can be forced to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING,” Mr. Trump wrote.
The post echoed similar remarks Mr. Trump made last week when he called for the trial to be canceled. Legal experts say it is unusual for a close ally of one state to interfere so directly in the domestic affairs of another, especially when it concerns an ongoing court case.
The trial has repeatedly been postponed at the request of Netanyahu, citing security and diplomatic developments. On Sunday, the court agreed to call off two more days of testimony by Netanyahu scheduled this week.
