Israeli forces advance ahead of Trump-Netanyahu Gaza war talks

CAIRO/JERUSALEM – Israeli tanks thrust closer to the heart of Gaza City on Sept 29, pressing a ground offensive hours before talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, who has hinted at a diplomatic breakthrough in a bid to end the war.

After nearly two years of failed diplomatic efforts, Washington presented

a 21-point plan

to Arab and Muslim states last week that calls for a permanent ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages.

Mr Trump, who said last week that he

believed a deal to end the fighting was close

, promised “something special” on the eve of his meeting with Mr Netanyahu.

“We have a real chance for greatness in the Middle East,” he wrote on social media. “All are on board for something special, first time ever. We will get it done.”

Though Mr Netanyahu praises Mr Trump as Israel’s closest ally, there are signs of Israeli scepticism over the proposal, and some reservations among Arab states.

Two foreign diplomats in the Middle East said Mr Trump’s 21-point plan was less a detailed blueprint and more a set of broad objectives. Israel had objected to several elements and was seeking revisions in its discussions with the White House, they said, adding that Arab states were also seeking some amendments.

However, the diplomats said Arab states had largely backed the plan and were now waiting to see whether there would be significant changes following Mr Trump’s meeting with Mr Netanyahu.

Another source familiar with the discussions said Israeli officials had raised concerns with Washington over issues including the proposed involvement of Palestinian security forces in Gaza after the war, expelling Hamas officials from the enclave and assigning overall security responsibility.

Sources in Egypt, which has acted as a mediator in ceasefire talks, said Cairo was concerned that the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority should not be sidelined from running Gaza, and about guarantees that Israel would abide by the terms of any agreement once the hostages were freed.

Meanwhile, there was no let-up on the ground, where Israel has

launched one of its biggest offensives of the war

in September – an all-out assault on Gaza City – with Mr Netanyahu saying he aims to wipe out Hamas in its final redoubts.

Ms Huda, a Palestinian woman sheltering in Deir Al Balah south of Gaza City with her two children, told Reuters that she worried Mr Trump’s latest peace plan was “going to be another disappointment”.

“Trump has made promises in the past that all turned out to be fiction,” she said by phone.

Mr Abu Abdallah, sheltering with nearly two dozen family members in tents along the Gaza City coast, said they were waiting until after the White House meeting before deciding whether to flee south.

“It is either peace or Gaza City would be wiped out, just like Rafah was,” he said, referring to the southern city that Israel completely flattened earlier in the war.

The assault on Gaza City has worsened a dire humanitarian crisis that has increased Israel’s international isolation. Several Western countries, including Britain and France, have recognised Palestinian independence, defying Israeli objections.

Israeli tanks advanced on Sept 29 to within a few hundred metres of Gaza City’s main Al-Shifa Hospital, where doctors say hundreds of patients are still being treated despite Israeli orders to leave.

Health officials said tanks had also surrounded the area around nearby Al Helo hospital, where 90 patients were being treated, including 12 babies in incubators. Medics said the hospital was shelled overnight.

Israel has said it will not halt fighting unless Hamas frees all hostages and permanently surrenders its weapons.

Hamas, which precipitated the war by

attacking Israel nearly two years ago

, says it is willing to free its hostages in return for an end to the war, but will not give up its arms as long as Palestinians are still fighting for a state. It has said it has yet to be shown any new US peace proposal.

Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people and captured 251 hostages in their October 2023 attack. More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

In Israel’s latest offensive, troops have flattened Gaza City neighbourhoods, dynamiting buildings which they said were used by Hamas. Hundreds of thousands of residents have fled, though many say there is nowhere to go.

Israel has told them to head south, where other cities have already been razed and much of the population is crammed into tented camps.

The military said in a statement on Sept 29 that it was continuing to target militant groups to ensure the protection of Israeli civilians. Medics said the military had killed at least 18 people across Gaza on Sept 29, most of them in Gaza City.

Previous ceasefire efforts backed by the US have fallen apart due to a failure to bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas.

Mr Netanyahu’s far-right allies in the Israeli government want the war to continue until Hamas has been defeated. They have also called for the annexation of the West Bank, which the Palestinians want for their future state.

But the Gaza City offensive is also a source of domestic political tension within Israel, where families of hostages say it is time for a peace deal to bring their loved ones home, and some accuse Mr Netanyahu of prolonging the war.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing many relatives of those held captive in Gaza, wrote to Mr Trump ahead of his meeting with Mr Netanyahu, urging him not to allow anyone to sabotage the deal he is putting forward to end the Gaza war.

“The stakes are too high, and our families have waited too long for any interference to derail this progress,” the letter said. REUTERS