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United States Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff said Tuesday he is “hopeful” that a 60-day cease-fire agreement for the Gaza Strip could be finalized by the end of the week, following progress in proximity talks.
“We had four issues, and now we're down to one after two days of proximity talks,” Witkoff said during a Cabinet meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. “So, we are hopeful that by the end of this week, we will have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day cease-fire.”
Witkoff said the proposed agreement includes the release of 10 living hostages and the remains of nine others. He expressed hope that the deal would lay the groundwork for “a lasting peace in Gaza.”
President Trump called the Gaza conflict a “tragedy” and said it would be the main topic in his meeting later Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Netanyahu wants to get it solved. We want to get it solved. The other side wants to get it solved,” Trump said, referring to Hamas.
Speaking earlier Tuesday on Capitol Hill, Netanyahu struck a more combative tone. “We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and governance capabilities,” he told reporters. “Gaza must have a different future — for our sake, for everyone's sake.”
Since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in October 2023, more than 57,500 Palestinians — most of them women and children — have been killed, according to Palestinian health officials. The war has leveled much of the enclave, sparked widespread food shortages, and fueled a humanitarian crisis, with disease spreading rapidly in overcrowded shelters.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case before the International Court of Justice over its military campaign in the enclave.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday he hopes a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be reached soon.
“Hopefully, pretty soon, a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” Rubio said, listing recent U.S. mediation efforts as achievements of the Trump administration over the past six months.
Baku and Yerevan began negotiations following the 2020 Second Karabakh War. Azerbaijan regained full control of the Karabakh region in September 2023.
Rubio also highlighted U.S. diplomatic initiatives involving India and Pakistan, Iran and Israel, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. He said the Middle East was “on the edge of change.”
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