Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is expected to face mounting pressure from the Trump administration when he arrives in Washington tomorrow, according to a U.S. official and an Arab diplomat who spoke with The Times of Israel. The administration is urging Israel to bring the conflict in Gaza to an end.
According to the two sources, international mediators have been hoping Israel would send representatives to Cairo to finalize negotiations on several unresolved matters. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opted to send Dermer to Washington instead, aiming to align with the U.S. position ahead of renewed proximity talks in Egypt.
Among the key issues holding up progress, the sources explain, is Hamas’s insistence on a permanent end to hostilities. Israel, by contrast, is pushing for a limited pause in fighting that would preserve its right to resume military operations later. Hamas, with support from Arab mediators, is also demanding either a return to previous aid distribution systems or the creation of a new mechanism to replace the current one overseen by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. While Israel defends the GHF as necessary to stop Hamas from diverting supplies, critics say the setup has resulted in Gazans walking long distances, often through dangerous areas under Israeli military fire, just to access basic food provisions.
Hopes were high among Arab mediators that Israel might commit to sending a team to Cairo during a senior ministerial session held late Sunday night. However, according to reports, the meeting concluded without any formal decisions being made.
The Arab diplomat noted that earlier this month, efforts were made to bring Israeli officials to Doha to consider a compromise framework developed jointly by Qatar and Egypt. This proposal was designed to combine elements of Hamas’s latest demands with a new initiative presented by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The mediators were anticipating the Israeli team’s arrival in Doha on June 13. Instead, Israel initiated its first wave of strikes in its campaign against Iran on that same morning. Following the escalation, Israel informed the mediators that hostage negotiations would be paused while Israel concentrated its efforts on countering the Iranian nuclear and missile threat, the diplomat said.
Once a ceasefire with Iran was achieved on June 22, President Donald Trump conveyed a clear message to Prime Minister Netanyahu: it was time for the conflict in Gaza to come to a close, according to the same two sources.
{Matzav.com}
