With negotiations apparently stalled, Trump says he wants Gaza deal 'straightened out over the next week’

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he hopes to get a ceasefire deal in Gaza “straightened out” within the next week. 

Asked by a reporter about the situation in Gaza as he was preparing to board a plane to travel to the FIFA Club World Cup Finals, Trump responded, “Gaza, we are talking and hopefully we’re going to get that straightened out over the next week. Let’s see what happens.” 

Many in Israel had hoped for the announcement of a deal by the end of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to Washington, D.C., last week.

U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff also stated on Sunday that he was “hopeful” that an agreement could be reached in the negotiations. Witkoff told a group of reporters in New Jersey that he was planning to meet senior Qatari officials on the sidelines of the Club World Cup Final. 

Qatar Airlines is a primary sponsor of the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) soccer team, which was facing off against Chelsea in the final game. President Trump and Witkoff both attended the game and reportedly met with the Qatari officials to discuss the hostage-ceasefire negotiations. 

The talks have been stalled for several days, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of raising obstacles to a deal. According to reports in Israeli and Arab media, the main disagreement appears to revolve around the withdrawal of IDF troops from certain parts of Gaza. 

Reuters reported that Hamas rejected the latest Israeli withdrawal map, which would have left Israel in control of around 40% of the Gaza Strip, and in complete control of Rafah, where Israel hopes to construct a humanitarian “tent city” within the coming days. 

That report stated that Hamas wants Israel to return to the same borders as the hostage-ceasefire agreement reached this past January. Hamas also wants guarantees that the ceasefire agreement will lead to a permanent end to the war. 

A Palestinian source told Al-Arabiya News that Israel’s withdrawal map is “actually a map of redeployment.” 

“The negotiations in Doha are facing a setback and complex difficulties due to Israel’s insistence, as of Friday, on presenting a map of withdrawal, which is actually a map of redeployment and repositioning of the Israeli army rather than a genuine withdrawal,” the Palestinian source claimed. 

Meanwhile, an Israeli source told Al-Arabiya that it is Hamas who is being “intransigent.” 

“Israel has demonstrated a willingness to show flexibility in the negotiations, while Hamas remains intransigent, clinging to positions that prevent the mediators from advancing an agreement,” the Israeli source stated. 

Israel has demanded an agreement that includes the dismantling of Hamas as a military force and as the governing body in the Gaza Strip. 

The Israeli delegation has been in Doha, Qatar, for nearly a week as mediators work to negotiate a halt to the Gaza War, now in its 21st month.

Before the start of 'Operation Gideon’s Chariots.' Israel vowed that any negotiations with Hamas would be carried out “under fire.”

Israeli officials, such as Defense Minister Israel Katz, also stated that Israel would begin taking and seizing territory in Gaza, implying that the IDF would not be as willing to withdraw from captured territory, even in a ceasefire deal.