US planning to pressure Israeli minister to end Gaza war: Reports

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is visiting Washington, DC on Monday, is expected to face pressure to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the Gaza Strip, according to reports in the Israeli press.

The Times of Israel cited sources as saying that the remaining sticking points in achieving a ceasefire include the Palestinian group Hamas's demand for a permanent end to the war, as opposed to Israel's efforts to secure a temporary ceasefire that leaves open the option for it to resume fighting.

They also said that Hamas is demanding a return to old mechanisms for distributing humanitarian aid or the establishment of a new system to replace the current one managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a proposition backed by Arab mediators.

Israel says GHF, an Israeli- and US-backed private mechanism, is essential in preventing the diversion of aid by Hamas, but it has forced Gazans to walk long distances in order to pick up food while also crossing Israeli army lines, coming under deadly fire on a near-daily basis, the Times of Israel reported.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper, citing senior White House officials, reported that senior officials from US President Donald Trump's team will pressure Dermer to reach an agreement on “ending the attacks on Gaza and returning the remaining prisoners.”

It was also reported that US officials would tell Dermer that Israel's insistence on “eliminating Hamas” would be left for the future.

The Yedioth Ahronoth daily also reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent statement that the rescue of Israeli hostages in Gaza had become a primary focus rather than repeating his goal of “eliminating Hamas” suggested a shift in his priorities.

Channel 12, citing Israeli sources, reported that the army has asked the government to determine the next step in the war.

The report said the next step could be either completing control over Gaza or reaching a prisoner exchange agreement and claimed that the army prefers the second option.

The report emphasized that Dermer's trip was also planned in preparation for Netanyahu's visit to Washington, expected to take place in the next two weeks, and said the US wanted an agreement to be reached before Netanyahu's trip.

Channel 13 also reported that the army had informed the government that there were no significant targets left in Gaza that could be reached without endangering the lives of the remaining hostages after nearly 19 months of ground attacks.

Trump, who announced an end to the Israel-Iran conflict on June 23 with a ceasefire that began on June 24 after 12 days of fighting, shared a message saying: “Make a deal in Gaza, bring back the (Israeli) hostages,” which was interpreted as a message to Netanyahu.