New Gaza Deal Depends on Trump Hammering Bibi

July 6—If there is going to finally be a breakthrough in negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a new hostage release/prisoner exchange deal that will lead to an end to the Butcher of Gaza's, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu's slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, it will depend on how much President Donald Trump wants the agreement and what he is willing to do to force Netanyahu to accept it.

As things stand now, Bibi dispatched a negotiating team to Qatar, with no intention of allowing them to negotiate to achieve a deal that Hamas would accept. This is precisely what blocked all previous attempts to end the war which has reduced Gaza to Hiroshima-like conditions, minus the nuclear fallout, has left scores of thousands of Palestinians, many of whom are women and children, dead, with thousands more under the rubble. This despite the fact that for the first time, Hamas has agreed to work out a plan within the outlines of the so-called Witkoff plan, which Netanyahu affirmed again last night, that Israel accepts.

Two Major Sticking Points in Ceasefire Proposal

Sources report that there are two hangups for Hamas in the plan, which would start with an immediate 60-day ceasefire during which 28 hostages, 10 of whom are alive, would be released in stages, with Israel releasing more Palestinian prisoners, while negotiators work out the terms of a permanent end to the fighting and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Hamas is accepting the assurances from Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that he and President Trump will personally guarantee that negotiations can continue beyond the 60 days, and that Bibi won't restart the slaughter. Bibi, while saying he accepts the plan as written, has also stated that Israel reserves the right to restart the fighting.

Dispute Over Humanitarian Aid Distribution

Also, Hamas wants the current aid distribution program, run through the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—which has seen hundreds of Gazans murdered by armed guards and IDF forces shooting at the starving people trying to get food and other supplies—shut down. It wants the free flow of all humanitarian aid through border crossings now controlled by the IDF, and that aid distributed by competent and reputable United Nations and Red Crescent operations. Bibi has refused to agree to these terms. In fact, he has said that Hamas proposals for change are unacceptable to Israel.

Trump Pressures Netanyahu Ahead of Washington Talks

Netanyahu is on his way to Washington for meetings with Trump and other Administration officials. Trump has told the press, that based on what he has seen as a new seriousness about reaching a deal by Hamas, that such a deal could be announced during Bibi's visit.

But sources close to the White House say that this will only happen if Trump demands that Bibi accept, or that he will hold the Israeli leader responsible for the tragedy that will ensue. "It is not yet clear whether Bibi is going to again be the saboteur of peace and an end to the killing," said a source close to the White House, "or whether he is orchestrating a situation in which he can tell his lunatic right-wing cabinet ministers Smotrich [Finance] and Ben-Gvir [National Security] that 'Trump made me do it' and that he took the deal for the greater good of Israel and its relationship to Washington.

'Trump very much wants this horrible war in Gaza ended and the hostages returned," the source continues. "He will have Bibi within his grasp, and one way or another, he is going to need to shake a deal out of him. He has already sweetened the pot for Bibi, saying that if Gaza is settled, he, Trump, will soon deliver the Saudis' recognition of Israel and the expansion of the Abraham Accords. Trump believes that he can make Bibi play ball, because he needs the hostages returned alive if he has any hope in standing for election later this year. And he will also need a friendly Trump. But there are still risks, because Trump needs every vote he can muster in Congress and that includes the gaggle of Zionist lobby freaks who worship the man they call 'the Senator from Jerusalem.'"

Cautious Optimism and Growing Pressure from Hostage Families

These and other sources say that you cannot trust Bibi until he signs on the dotted line, and that even then he might arrange to have that page of a deal go missing. Writes the respected commentator Amos Harel in Haaretz today: "The cease-fire agreement now shaping up may leave an opening for ending the war, which is what Hamas has been seeking. Two things should be noted. First, this same deal could have been reached last March, before the Israel Defense Forces resumed combat, or even a year earlier, if Netanyahu had truly wanted it. Second, stretching out the implementation of the new deal over multiple, prolonged stages is only due to Israel's insistence. On the other hand, Netanyahu is still laying stumbling blocks along the way, which may not ultimately foil the deal but will at least signal to his extreme right-wing coalition partners that those options remain open."

The Hostage Families Forum welcomed the negotiators' departure, saying that "this is a necessary step, which must end with an agreement that will ensure the return of every hostage on a clear timeline." It also demanded "a clear and transparent update" on the changes Hamas seeks to make to the Qatari proposal, adding that "the families and the public have the right to know."

Bibi will be meeting Trump tomorrow morning.