Ceasefire next week? Trump hopeful on Gaza deal; Israel-Hamas talks in motion

US President Donald Trump on Friday expressed hope that a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached soon, saying a deal involving Israel and Hamas might come as early as next week.“We think within the next week, we’re going to get a ceasefire,” Trump told reporters when asked about the possibility of ending the fighting in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.The current round of violence in the region resumed in March, when Israel declared a previously brokered ceasefire to be over and launched new attacks on Hamas. That earlier truce had been negotiated in the final days of former US President Joe Biden’s term, with backing from Trump’s incoming administration.The conflict began when Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. Since then, Gaza has suffered widespread destruction and a severe humanitarian crisis.Following the breakdown of the ceasefire, Israel also blocked the entry of food and other essential supplies into Gaza for more than two months, raising concerns over a looming famine.In recent weeks, Israel resumed limited aid flow through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a system supported by the United States and involving American security contractors working with Israeli troops at the edges of Gaza.On Thursday, US announced $30 million in funding for the GHF programme. “We’re supplying, as you know, a lot of money and a lot of food to that area,” Trump said. “We’re involved because people are dying. And look at those crowds of people that have no food, no anything.”However, the aid distribution effort has been surrounded by controversy. Witnesses and Gaza officials have reported several instances of Palestinians being killed while waiting near distribution centres.Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted unnamed soldiers who claimed their commanders had ordered them to fire on crowds near aid zones to disperse them, even when they posed no threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied the report.