Trump Casts Into Doubt Strength of Israel and Hamas Ceasefire Ahead of Netanyahu Visit to Oval Office

President Trump cautioned that he’s unsure the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will continue, as the two sides geared up for another round of negotiations to implement the second phase of the deal. “I have no guarantees that the peace is going to hold,” Mr. Trump said when asked about the ceasefire by reporters in the Oval Office.Mr. Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, added that the ceasefire is holding “so far, so we’re certainly hopeful.”The president also refused to answer whether his administration will back an Israeli annexation of the West Bank, saying: “I’m not going to talk about that. (Israel) is a small country in terms of land.”“See this pen? This wonderful pen on my desk is the Middle East, and the top of the pen — that’s Israel,” he added. Mr. Trump’s comments came ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu on Tuesday. Mr. Netanyahu met with U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Mr. Witkoff on Monday, with the prime minister saying that he is preparing to send another delegation to Doha this week “in order to discuss technical details related to the continued implementation of the agreement.”Mr. Netanyahu’s office added that he will convene the Security Cabinet when he returns from Washington to discuss Israel’s “overall positions regarding the second stage of the deal, which will guide the continuation of the negotiations.”Israel and Hamas are expected to clash over the implementation of the next two phases as Netanyahu’s government has insisted that the terror group play no role in governing the enclave. Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi told Al-Jazeera that Hamas is “open to any proposal regarding the future management of Gaza,” but that “anyone who believes that Hamas will be marginalized is mistaken.” “The management of the Rafah crossing will be in Palestinian hands, and the current solutions are temporary,” he added. The Israeli prime minister will also meet with Secretary of Defense Hegseth on Wednesday. Trump has asked congressional leaders to approve $1 billion arms sales to Israel, according to Wall Street Journal. The sales reportedly include 4,700 1,000-pound bombs and other military hardware. Mr. Netanyahu and the Biden administration clashed over the transfer of heavy weapons as the former president withheld shipments of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs in May last year over Israel’s planned offensive in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city.

Trump Casts Into Doubt Strength of Israel and Hamas Ceasefire Ahead of Netanyahu Visit to Oval Office

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