On Thursday, President Donald Trump was asked about the possibility of extending the ceasefire in Gaza, after the first phase of the agreement between Israel and Hamas concluded with the return of the bodies of four hostages.
“We’re working very hard in the Middle East and Gaza and all of the problems, and it’s been going on for years and years and centuries and centuries. It’s a tough neighborhood, but it could be a very beautiful neighborhood, and I think we’re going to come up with some pretty good solutions,” Trump remarked during a press conference alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“It’s a rough situation, but I think we’re going to make it much better… I think we’ve had a huge impact on Gaza, the Middle East, and we have some pretty good talks going on concerning lots of other people that are going to make it better. So, we’ll see what happens,” he continued.
“Nobody really knows, but we’ll see what happens. But I think we’ve had a very positive impact,” Trump added.
Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli source revealed that Israel is anticipating the release of more hostages on Saturday, in exchange for extending the ceasefire in Gaza.
This statement came just one day after Kan 11 News reported that Israel is negotiating with the United States to prolong the ceasefire for a few more weeks in order to secure the release of additional hostages.
The report indicated that hostages will continue to be freed in return for Israel considering a withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor and the release of additional prisoners from Israeli jails. The mediators are working toward ensuring that the ceasefire extension will cover the entire month of Ramadan.
An Israeli official confirmed that section 14 of the agreement allows for extending the ceasefire, and that Israel is open to continuing these discussions. However, the official emphasized that Israel would not agree to negotiations without securing the release of more hostages as part of the deal.
{Matzav.com}