Trump signals impending Gaza accord - United Nations issues famine alert
United States and Israel Await Hamas Response on Ceasefire Proposal
Washington/Gaza - US President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Friday about an imminent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The warring parties are reportedly close to an agreement, with Israel accepting a US proposal for a time-limited truce. However, Hamas is yet to approve the plan, with the White House acknowledging that final approval remains uncertain.
Israel's acceptance of the truce proposal is based on a 60-day ceasefire, according to various media reports. The deal also includes arrangements for the release of ten living hostages in two stages within a week and the delivery of the remains of 18 deceased hostages. In exchange, 125 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,111 residents of the Gaza Strip arrested after a terrorist attack in October 2023 are expected to be released.
Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire and the handling of remaining hostages and the remains of other deceased hostages would reportedly take place during the two-month truce, should an agreement be reached between Israel and Hamas. Hamas has previously rejected a time-limited ceasefire and demanded the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and an end to the war.
Meanwhile, the United Nations continues to warn of impending famine in the Gaza Strip, with the region being marked as the hungriest on Earth. Thousands of pallets of food are ready at the borders of the Gaza Strip, but cannot be distributed due to the Israeli blockade. The blockade, in place since March, is aimed at increasing pressure on Hamas to release hostages taken in Israel. UN spokesperson Jens Laerke described the situation as a "catastrophic hunger" and an "organizational straightjacket."
In other news, unconfirmed media reports suggest that the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister's planned visit to the occupied West Bank with counterparts from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey is being blocked by Israel. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank had hoped to use the visit to advance international recognition of a future Palestinian state.
Saudi Arabia and France are planning to host an international conference in mid-June at the United Nations headquarters in New York to discuss a two-state solution - the establishment of an independent Palestinian state coexisting peacefully with Israel. French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested that his country could recognize a Palestinian state at the conference, although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the radical Islamists of Hamas have both rejected the two-state solution.
Lastly, the Israeli Air Force reportedly struck weapons depots in Syria for the first time since early May. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, barracks in the Latakia region were targeted, although no immediate casualties were reported. Israel has carried out numerous attacks on Syria since rebel forces overthrew long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, with the military stating that the bombardments aimed to prevent stockpiles from falling into the hands of jihadists and other anti-Israel forces.
[Enrichment Data Integration] The UN continues to urge both sides to resolve the ongoing conflict peacefully and focus on addressing the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. A lasting ceasefire could potentially contribute to the establishment of a conducive environment for long-term peace negotiations between Israel and Palestinians, although a two-state solution has yet to be explicitly linked to the current ceasefire proposal.
Following the US proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the UN is urging both sides to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, given the impending humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, as international negotiations for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestinians are planned, recent developments in war-and-conflicts and politics, such as the ceasefire proposal and Israeli strikes in Syria, are significant general-news factors shaping the regional landscape of crime-and-justice, and ongoing diplomatic discussions.
