U.S. President Donald Trump announced on July 1 that Israel had agreed to the conditions of what would be a 60-day cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
“The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
It remains unclear if terrorist group Hamas will accept the deal.
The announcement came while Israel’s Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer visited Washington to talk with senior administration officials on a potential cease-fire in Gaza. He was also expected to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
It also came after Israel Katz, Israel’s defense minister, warned that his country would respond with force to missiles from Yemen and two projectiles launched from Gaza. All projectiles were intercepted by Israel’s defense systems.
This was the first attack from Yemen’s Iran-backed terrorist group Houthis since the end of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, with Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, taking to social media vowing his nation will not stop “its support for Gaza … unless the aggression stops and the siege on Gaza is lifted.”
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed three days ago that it had eliminated Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa, the current head of combat support headquarters in Hamas’s military wing, in the Sabra area of Gaza City during a joint operation with the Israeli Security Agency.
“Issa played a significant role in the planning and execution of the brutal October 7th massacre,” the IDF stated. “Throughout the war, and over the past few days, Issa served as Head of the Combat Support Headquarters, and advanced aerial and naval terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip.”
Issa was one of the last surviving senior Hamas terrorists who had held a high-ranking position in the Gaza Strip before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing conflict. Israel returned much of its focus to Gaza after its war with Iran came to an end, reaffirming its commitment to eliminating all of the terrorists from the various organizations who had a part in the Oct. 7 massacre.
Trump is scheduled to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on July 7.
The president stated on June 28 that Netanyahu was “in the process of negotiating a deal with Hamas.” Conditions would include ensuring the release of the remaining hostages still held by the terrorist group.
