Donald Trump won’t let our allies walk all over us. He can still be tough without destroying America’s relationship with them.
And Trump has turned up the heat in a major way on this top U.S. ally.
Trump Urges Israel to Secure Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Deal to Bolster Abraham Accords
President Donald Trump is intensifying efforts to steer Israel toward resolving the ongoing conflict in Gaza, aiming to secure a hostage deal that could pave the way for expanding the Abraham Accords, a landmark diplomatic achievement from his first term. The push comes as a critical moment for peace negotiations and regional stability.
On Monday, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is scheduled to meet at the White House to discuss strategies for ending the war in Gaza. The talks are seen as a vital step to align U.S. and Israeli priorities before resuming indirect negotiations.
In a late-night post on Truth Social at 1 a.m. Sunday, Trump emphasized the urgency, stating, “Make the deal in Gaza. Get the hostages back!!!”
Donald J. Trump Truth Social 06.29.25 01:19 AM EST
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) June 29, 2025
MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!! DJT
His call reflects growing pressure on Israel to act swiftly as mediators urge Jerusalem to send negotiators to Egypt for talks tied to both freeing hostages and crafting a post-conflict plan for Gaza.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted deploying negotiators to Egypt, opting instead to send Dermer to Washington to ensure coordination with the U.S. Israel insists that Hamas, which still holds 50 hostages—including 49 seized during the October 7, 2023 attack and one deceased hostage held since 2014—is obstructing progress.
Per the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 27 additional hostages, including Americans Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, are believed to have been k*lled during or since the 2023 assault. Netanyahu has also expressed “doubts” about the status of several others.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar reaffirmed Jerusalem’s commitment on Monday, stating, “Israel is serious in its will to reach a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza.”
He highlighted Israel’s acceptance of a recent proposal by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, which Hamas rejected for failing to address a permanent ceasefire or the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Witkoff is likely to travel to Egypt soon to advance new negotiations.
A successful resolution in Gaza is pivotal for Trump’s vision of expanding the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations during his first term.
Israeli Foreign Minister Sa’ar echoed this ambition, noting, “We have opportunities in front of us. We paid for the new reality in the Middle East with the blood of our soldiers and citizens.”
He expressed Israel’s desire to include neighbors like Syria and Lebanon in “the circle of peace and normalization,” while prioritizing the nation’s security.
While Trump has not specified which countries are poised to join the Accords, nations like Saudi Arabia have indicated that progress on the Palestinian issue is a prerequisite for normalization.
In an exclusive interview on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Trump remarked, “We have some really great countries in there right now, and I think we’re going to start loading them up, because Iran was the primary problem.”
As diplomatic efforts intensify, the coming days will be critical in determining whether a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal can unlock new pathways for peace and expand the historic Abraham Accords.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
