On the eve of his high stakes meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is “working on a ceasefire plan” with Washington. The announcement, timed carefully before his White House visit, comes as the Israel-Hamas war grinds through its second bloody year, leaving a staggering 66,000 Palestinians dead and more than 168,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Yet behind Netanyahu’s cautious words lies a bitter contradiction: while speaking of peace, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza City continues to level homes, displace families, and fuel famine. In just one weekend, at least ten more civilians were killed in airstrikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp. The Israeli army admits to striking 140 “Hamas targets” in 24 hours, but entire neighbourhoods are collapsing in the process. Trump, who has largely backed Netanyahu’s war campaign, now faces growing international impatience. As Israel pushes ceasefire proposal before Trump meeting his proposed 21-point ceasefire plan reportedly demands an immediate halt to hostilities, the release of all Hamas-held hostages within 48 hours, and a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Arab diplomats briefed on the proposal stress that it is not final—and changes are likely.
For Trump, the ceasefire plan is a political balancing act. On one hand, he must maintain loyalty to Israel; on the other, his administration cannot ignore mounting global outrage, UN resolutions, and even Western allies recognizing a Palestinian state. European Union officials are weighing sanctions, and cultural and sports boycotts against Israel are gaining traction. Netanyahu remains unyielding. At the UN General Assembly, he defiantly told world leaders that Israel must “finish the job” against Hamas, even as famine spreads and 90 percent of Gaza’s population is displaced. His rhetoric underscores a chilling reality: despite whispers of peace, Israel’s offensive shows no sign of slowing down. The contradiction is glaring. Netanyahu hints at letting Hamas operatives leave Gaza as part of a deal, but he also insists on destroying the group entirely. Such double-edged statements only deepen scepticism about Israel’s true intentions. Meanwhile, Hamas has said it is open to “positively and responsibly” studying any genuine proposal. As Israel pushes ceasefire proposal before Trump meeting provided it includes a complete Israeli withdrawal. Beyond political chess games and media soundbites lies Gaza’s unbearable reality. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Food is scarce. Explosions echo through the night. Parents bury their children while world leaders debate policy points in air-conditioned rooms thousands of miles away. Half of the dead are women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry—figures that the UN and independent experts recognize as credible. This is not just a war of military objectives; it is a war against human survival. To speak of ceasefire plans while bombs continue to fall is to expose the hollowness of political negotiations when they are not backed by urgent humanitarian action.
In the end, the so-called ceasefire plan that Netanyahu and Trump are preparing risks becoming yet another performance on the global stage—words meant to appease mounting outrage rather than a genuine path toward peace. What good is a “21-point plan” when Gaza is reduced to rubble, when famine stalks the streets, when hospitals overflow with the wounded and the dead? For the families who have lost children, for the communities uprooted and displaced, promises whispered in White House corridors mean nothing until the bombs stop falling. The reality is that Israel’s war has crossed every imaginable threshold of destruction: 66,000 lives lost, 168,000 wounded, and an entire population forced into starvation and exile. To call this a “conflict” is to sanitize what is, in truth, a humanitarian catastrophe of historic proportions. Netanyahu’s insistence on “finishing the job” is nothing short of a defiance of international law and human conscience. And Trump’s willingness to entertain him—while pretending to float peace plans—only underscores how little regard the powerful show for Palestinian lives.
As Israel pushes ceasefire proposal before Trump meeting the cries from Gaza demand more than symbolic proposals—they demand an immediate, verifiable ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid, and accountability for war crimes. Anything less will not be peace but complicity. History will not absolve those who stood by. It will not remember the press conferences or the numbered points of Trump’s plan. It will remember the flattened neighbourhood’s, the starving children, and the silence of those who could have stopped it. The question before the world is no longer whether a ceasefire can be negotiated, but whether humanity itself can survive the cynicism of leaders who speak of peace while perpetuating war.