GAZA CITY/NEW YORK – A high-stakes diplomatic push led by former US President Donald Trump to secure a comprehensive peace deal and end the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza is unfolding against a backdrop of intensifying Israeli military action on the ground. As Trump hinted at a “real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” Israeli tanks pushed deeper into residential areas of Gaza City, with local health authorities reporting 21 more Palestinian deaths on Sunday, bringing the total casualties from Israeli forces to over in the past two years.
Trump’s Optimism and the 21-Point Plan
Trump confirmed that his special envoy Steve Witkoff and former Middle East envoy Jared Kushner were engaged in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York ahead of a meeting at the White House. Using Netanyahu’s nickname, Trump said, “We’re getting a very good response because Bibi wants to make the deal too.”
The US unveiled a 21-point Middle East peace plan at the United Nations this week. A White House official confirmed the plan calls for the return of all prisoners, living and dead, no further Israeli attacks on Qatar, and a new dialogue between Israel and Palestinians for peaceful coexistence.
Trump credited the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan, among others, for aiding the process, suggesting the deal would lead to a broader peace. Netanyahu, in an interview with Fox News, stated that amnesty for Hamas leaders is possible under the agreement, though the details need to be worked out.
Deepening Incursions and Aid Obstacles
Despite the diplomatic flurry, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating rapidly. Witnesses and medics reported that Israeli tanks deepened their incursions in the crowded Sabra, Tel Al-Hawa, Sheikh Radwan, and Al-Naser neighborhoods, where hundreds of thousands are sheltering. The Civil Emergency Service in Gaza revealed that Israel had denied requests—sent via international organizations—to rescue injured Palestinians in Gaza City.
Compounding the challenges, a scheduled visit to Egypt by Washington’s top envoy to Israel, Mike Huckabee, was abruptly postponed. Egypt, a key mediator alongside the US and Qatar, has repeatedly criticized Israel’s offensive, warning that the fighting risks driving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians across its border into the Sinai Peninsula.
Hamas Calls for Halt to Locate Prisoners
Amid the intense fighting, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, asked the Israeli military to temporarily halt strikes to allow them to locate two Israeli prisoners with whom they had lost contact. “The lives of the two prisoners are in real danger, and [Israeli] forces must immediately withdraw to the south of Street and halt aerial operations for hours starting from today to allow attempts to rescue the prisoners,” the Brigades wrote in a statement. They attributed the loss of contact to Israeli military operations in two southern Gaza City neighborhoods over the previous hours.
