Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to discuss a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, Axios reported, citing two US sources.
One source told Axios that the purpose of Trump’s call was to encourage Netanyahu to reach a deal, but stressed that he did not know if that was what the former president actually said to Netanyahu. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Late last month, Netanyahu visited the US and met with President Joe Biden, Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, and Republican former President Trump.
Egypt, the United States and Qatar have set a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks for Thursday.
Biden proposed a three-phase ceasefire in his address on May 31. Washington and regional mediators have since tried to arrange a Gaza ceasefire deal for the hostages but have repeatedly faced obstacles.
Hamas said on Wednesday it would not take part in a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks scheduled for Thursday in Qatar, but an official with knowledge of the talks said mediators were expected to then hold consultations with the Palestinian Islamist group.
Washington, Israel’s most important ally, has said a ceasefire in Gaza would reduce the risk of a wider war in the Middle East.
The risk of a wider war has grown following the recent assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Both have threatened retaliation against Israel.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli figures show.
Israel’s assault on Hamas-ruled territory has so far killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, while almost the entire population of 2.3 million has been displaced, leading to a starvation crisis and World Court charges of genocide, which Israel denies.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
