Trump is talking up a Gaza ceasefire, but major obstacles remain
Donald Trump has said a ceasefire in Gaza could be achieved in a week. That’s welcome news to Palestinians in Gaza who continue to be bombed and starved nonstop. But there are actually no negotiations happening anywhere at the moment around this.
What we do know is that talk of a ceasefire in Gaza has increased exponentially after the ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Israel does not want to talk about ending the war – in fact, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu would be risking a lot if he did. But there is an understanding, according to many reports, that Netanyahu would have to agree to some sort of ceasefire in exchange for the normalisation deals with other countries being talked about by the Trump administration.
What Hamas would want, according to its statements, is first of all for the slaughter to end, but also for Israeli troops to withdraw from the areas they’ve taken in Gaza after Israel broke the ceasefire in March. Right now, they’ve taken up to 80 percent of Gaza.
Hamas also wants US guarantees that negotiations would continue, and that Israel wouldn’t break the ceasefire again if more time were needed for negotiations.
Houthis claim ballistic missile strike on southern Israel
We have been reporting on the Israeli claims of a missile strike from Yemen that was “most likely successfully intercepted”.
Now, the Yemeni armed group has confirmed they launched a ballistic missile, saying it was against a “sensitive” target in the Israeli city of Beersheba in southern Israel.
According to a statement released by the group, the attack was carried out by the group’s missile unit using a Dhu al-Fiqar ballistic missile. “The operation successfully achieved its goal,” it said.
Moreover, the statement claimed that, earlier last week, the Houthis had launched several operations targeting sites in Beersheba, Jaffa, and Haifa using ballistic missiles and drones.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched attacks on Israeli cities and vessels linked to Israel, in an effort to pressure it to stop its nearly 21-month war on Gaza.
Fuel crisis in Gaza threatens lifesaving services: UNRWA
The health sector in the Gaza Strip remains under intense strain, with widespread damage to medical facilities, the UN agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has said.
The health crisis in the Gaza Strip was further compounded by ongoing restrictions on the entry of essential medical supplies and fuel, UNRWA said in its latest situation report.
“The fuel crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached deeply worrisome levels. Humanitarian organisations warn that without the immediate entry of fuel, lifesaving and life-sustaining services are at risk of shutting down imminently,” the UN agency said.
Our latest on the situation in📍#Gaza and the #WestBank:
🔹The health response in the Gaza Strip continues to face severe operational challenges, including extensive damage to health facilities, obstacles to safe movements and restrictions on the entry of medical supplies and… pic.twitter.com/sjAt96a5rU
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) June 28, 2025
