Trump: "Very Close to a Ceasefire Deal"
Secret White House Meeting Marks Significant Progress
Israeli Troop Redeployment Remains Key Issue
US, Israeli, and Qatari officials held a secret meeting at the White House to discuss a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to a report by Axios on July 9 (local time).
Sources said the secret meeting, held the previous day, was attended by Steve Witkoff, US Special Envoy for the Middle East, Ron Dermer, Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs and a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and a senior Qatari official. The participants mainly discussed the extent of Israeli troop redeployment within Gaza during the proposed 60-day temporary ceasefire period, and sources reported that there was progress after intense debate.
In particular, Israel reportedly proposed a redeployment plan in which more of its forces would remain in the area than during the previous ceasefire. However, during the meeting, Envoy Witkoff and the Qatari official pointed out to Minister Dermer that this plan was unlikely to succeed. Witkoff is said to have remarked that Israel's redeployment plan closely resembled the position of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has been pushing for Israeli forces to remain in more areas of Gaza, including the occupation of most of the territory.
The Qatari official also reportedly warned that the Palestinian militant group Hamas was highly likely to reject this proposal, and that the issue could cause the ceasefire talks to collapse. The official emphasized that if this happened, Qatar, which is mediating the talks, should not be blamed.
Previously, the "one remaining issue out of four" mentioned by Envoy Witkoff in relation to the ceasefire negotiations was also reported to be the question of Israeli troop redeployment. In response to criticism on this point, Minister Dermer explained that Prime Minister Netanyahu was under significant pressure from within his coalition government not to make major concessions.
The meeting ultimately concluded with Israel presenting a new map that included a broader withdrawal of its forces. Sources said the contents of this new map represented significant progress in the talks and greatly increased the likelihood of reaching an agreement.
President Trump also expressed optimism about the outcome of the secret meeting, stating that "we are very close to a ceasefire agreement." When asked by reporters about the secret meeting the following day, President Trump said, "We want a ceasefire and peace. We want to get the hostages back," adding, "I think we are getting closer to that." He also commented, "I don't know if the meeting was secret or not, but it doesn't matter to me," and added, "If we can achieve what we want, secrecy is fine."
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