US President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that there are “pretty good conversations” regarding the future of the ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip. He declined to provide further details at a White House press conference.
A three-phase ceasefire in the Gaza Strip went into effect on January 19, in which 33 Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip were released and in return, the Palestinian side received around 2,000 Israeli prisoners and detainees back from Israel.
The first six-week phase of the ceasefire is set to expire in two days. On Thursday, Israel announced that it would send negotiators to Cairo to discuss the extension of the first phase.
Trump was asked if the second phase would come into effect. “We’ll see what happens. Nobody really knows, but we’ll see what happens” he said at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “We’ve had some pretty good conversations.”
Israel and the Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire. The United Nations described the images of the malnourished Israeli hostages and the released Palestinian prisoners as shocking, as they reflected the catastrophic detention conditions. Starmer reiterated his support for a two-state solution, which envisions the creation of a state for the Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in addition to the state of Israel.
“I believe the two-state solution is ultimately the only way for a lasting peace in the region” Starmer said at the press conference, when asked about Trump’s proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and the permanent displacement of Palestinians. Trump’s plan was widely condemned globally as a proposal for ethnic cleansing.