Trump to Meet Jordan’s King as Gaza Truce Hangs in the Balance

The future of the ceasefire in Gaza and the region’s long-term status were uncertain on Tuesday, with President Trump preparing for talks with King Abdullah II of Jordan amid a public rift between the U.S. leader and Hamas.https://svtoday.org/

Trump has proposed taking control of Gaza and expelling Palestinians to nearby countries, such as Jordan. He has warned that American financial support for Jordan will be cut if the king refuses to accept this plan.

This conflict is one of several tensions threatening the fragile truce between Hamas and Israel. Hamas warned on Monday that it could disrupt the agreement, delaying the release of some hostages if Israel doesn’t send more aid to Gaza.

Trump responded with threats of “all hell” if the hostages weren’t released by the weekend. Hamas later softened its stance, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that Israel would resume fighting if the hostages weren’t freed by Saturday. He did not specify how many hostages needed to be released, leaving room for negotiation.

While the immediate crisis may be resolved soon, experts noted that a bigger challenge awaits in March, when the ceasefire is set to end unless Hamas and Israel agree to extend it.

“I believe they will reach a compromise before Saturday,” said Ibrahim Dalalsha, director of the Horizon Center, a political research organization in Ramallah. “However, this crisis is just a precursor to a much larger one that will unfold in early March.”

Negotiations have become more difficult due to the actions of key players.

Netanyahu has postponed talks, wary of agreeing to an extension that would allow Hamas to remain in control of Gaza.

Hamas, despite claiming it might share power with other Palestinian groups, has shown no signs of disarming.

Trump’s statements, particularly his threats to expel Gaza’s residents, have angered Hamas and added to the chaos surrounding the negotiations.

The U.S. president has repeatedly suggested that the U.S. should occupy and rebuild Gaza, warning Egypt and Jordan that they risk losing American financial support if they don’t accept displaced Palestinians.

Such a forced migration would destabilize both countries, and King Abdullah is expected to offer alternative solutions to Trump.

Analysts remain divided on whether Trump’s idea is genuine, but the dispute underscores growing uncertainty about Gaza’s future.

The current stand-off partly stems from Hamas accusing Israel of failing to meet its commitments in the first phase of the ceasefire. Israel was supposed to send hundreds of thousands of tents to Gaza, a promise Hamas claims has not been fulfilled.

Three Israeli officials and two mediators, speaking anonymously, confirmed that Hamas’s accusations were correct.

However, the Israeli military unit overseeing aid, COGAT, denied the claims, insisting that hundreds of thousands of tents, along with other aid, had entered Gaza since the agreement began.

Regardless of the aid issue, officials agree that the situation could be resolved quickly if Israel allowed more aid to flow into Gaza.

A more serious concern is the perception that Netanyahu is undermining talks to extend the ceasefire.

Negotiations, originally scheduled to begin last week, were delayed when Netanyahu postponed sending a team to Qatar, which is mediating the discussions. When the delegation finally arrived, it was composed of officials who had not previously led Israel’s negotiations, and their role was limited to listening, not negotiating. This raised suspicions that Netanyahu was buying time rather than genuinely working to extend the truce.

Omer Dostri, a spokesman for Netanyahu, stated that the prime minister was “working tirelessly to bring home all hostages held by Hamas” and that Israel would send negotiators once the government’s position was settled.

Netanyahu has repeatedly asserted that Hamas will not stay in power after the war, and members of his governing coalition have voiced their desire to resume fighting to remove Hamas, despite public support for a ceasefire to free more hostages, even if it leaves the group in power.

A Hamas official, Mahmoud Mardawi, explained that their warning on Monday was primarily in response to disagreements over humanitarian aid but also a tactic to pressure Netanyahu into serious negotiations. It also seemed to be a reaction to Trump’s recent comments about forcibly relocating Gaza’s residents.

Michael Milshtein, an expert on Palestinian affairs, observed, “Hamas is angry about the demands from both Netanyahu and Trump to expel them from Gaza.”

“The warning issued yesterday was a signal that if these demands continue, the situation will escalate into multiple dramatic crises,” Milshtein added.