(JNS) White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that the Trump administration was continuing to discuss a ceasefire proposal for Gaza, and confirmed that Hamas had accepted it.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Hamas accepted this proposal after the president of the United States posted a very strong statement about this conflict on Truth Social,” Leavitt said at a press briefing at the White House.
The talks coincide with IDF preparations for the seizure of Gaza City, seemingly with the support of US President Donald Trump, who on Monday said that the remaining hostages would return only when Hamas is “confronted and destroyed.”
“The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News on Tuesday stressed how Trump’s Truth Social post changed the terrorist group’s calculations.
“Three weeks ago that proposal was on the table and they slow-played us, Hamas. And the president put out his Truth statement saying that he wasn’t going to tolerate it anymore and guess what happened? There’s been a major break. They’ve issued the announcement and they’ve said they want a peace deal,” Witkoff said.
He continued: “The president has been very decisive and straightforward in his Truth. He wants all the hostages back and that is the position that we have. We want all the hostages back. That conflict should end immediately. Twenty hostages should be returned to their families, a commensurate amount of Palestinian prisoners to be released as well, and just let’s end that thing and bring peace and solitude to the Gazan people and rebuild Gaza as it should be rebuilt as the president has set forth.”
According to Arab media, the proposal features a partial pullout of Israeli forces from some areas of the Gaza Strip, the release of 10 out of the 20 living hostages held by Hamas and the release of more than 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel during a 60-day ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the nation on Monday, stated that Hamas was “under immense pressure” as the terrorist group signaled a willingness to negotiate after previously refusing several offers.
Netanyahu also visited the IDF’s Gaza Division, where he expressed his “tremendous appreciation” for the “great achievements” of Israel’s military in the Gaza war, which he termed both a “War of Redemption” and a “War on Seven Fronts.”
The prime minister’s political allies, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have vocally opposed any partial deal that does not secure the release of all hostages and a total defeat of Hamas.
On Tuesday, the fathers of three soldiers who fell fighting Palestinian terrorists since Oct. 7, 2023, wrote Netanyahu an open letter in which they demanded he decline any deal that doesn’t retrieve all 50 remaining hostages.
“Any pause now, for partial deals would endanger the hostages, the troops and Israel’s security. Do not surrender to Hamas. It is time for a decisive victory,” wrote the fathers of Cpt. Uri Mordechai Shani and Fst. Sgts. Yishai Fitousi and Amit Buntzel. The fathers, Yehoshua, Itzik and Itzik, are members of the Gevurah Forum of bereaved parents.
As of Aug. 19, 148 hostages have been returned alive to Israel—eight of them rescued through military operations. Most have been redeemed in two exchanges, held during ceasefires in 2024 and 2025, for Palestinian terrorists held in Israeli prisons.
The bodies of an additional 56 captives have been repatriated to Israel.
As talks on a deal continue, the Israel Defense Forces is finalizing preparations for the seizure of Gaza City, which would significantly tighten Israel’s grip on the area and limit Hamas’s ability to operate there.
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday approved plans for the next stage of the war presented to him by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior IDF leadership, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.
The campaign has been dubbed “Operation Gideon’s Chariots II,” according to the report.
To fund the war, the Israeli Cabinet agreed to cut 30.8 billion shekels ($9 billion) from the budgets of various ministries in favor of the Defense Ministry. Of that sum, 1.6 billion shekels ($471 million) is earmarked for humanitarian aid for Gazans.
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates
