Israel agrees to 60-day ceasefire in Gaza**

Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions for a temporary 60-day ceasefire with the Palestinian armed group Hamas. U.S. President Donald Trump announced this early Wednesday morning (July 2). During this temporary ceasefire, he pledged to work with all parties to permanently end the war.On his social media platform Truth, Trump wrote:“Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize a 60-day ceasefire. During this period, we will work with all parties to bring a permanent end to the war.”He added:“The Qataris and Egyptians have worked hard to bring peace. They will make the final proposal. I hope, for the good of the Middle East, Hamas will accept this deal. Because if not, things won’t get better—they’ll only get worse.”For the past few months, discussions have been ongoing between Israel and Hamas over a temporary 60-day ceasefire, a proposal put forward by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. According to the Times of Israel, Trump was likely referring to that proposal.However, the discussions on this proposal had been stalled for a long time. Israel wanted to retain the right to resume attacks on Gaza after the temporary ceasefire. On the other hand, Hamas stated that it would not agree to a temporary ceasefire without a guarantee of a permanent cessation of hostilities.The Times of Israel reported that by pledging to work towards a permanent end to the war, Trump was possibly trying to satisfy both parties.Arab mediators are now working to resolve the remaining differences between Hamas and Israel over the terms of the ceasefire agreement.Meanwhile, the day before yesterday, Trump announced that he wanted a ceasefire in Gaza. Following that, the White House stated that Trump does not want to see more massacres in Gaza and is prioritizing an end to the war.On Monday, U.S. President Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Even before this meeting, the U.S. has been pressuring Israel to stop the war.