Trump: Hamas Likely to Decide on Ceasefire Proposal Within 24 Hours

West Bank Town Turns into ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Erects Fence

US President Donald Trump told the press at an airbase after his Iowa rally that “we are going to know over the next 24 hours” when asked if Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire deal.

A five-meter-high metal fence now cuts across the eastern edge of Sinjil, a Palestinian town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Heavy steel gates and roadblocks block all but a single entrance and exit, closely monitored by Israeli soldiers stationed at guard posts.

“Sinjil has become a large prison,” said Mousa Shabaneh, 52, a father of seven, watching helplessly as workers erected the fence through a nursery on the town’s outskirts—where he planted trees to sell, his only source of income.

“Of course, we are now forbidden from accessing the nursery. All the trees I had were burned and destroyed,” he added. “In the end, they cut off our livelihood.”

Walls and checkpoints imposed by Israeli forces have long shaped the daily reality for nearly three million Palestinians living in the West Bank. However, many residents say the surge in such barriers since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict has left towns and villages under a near-constant state of siege.

Donald Trump says Israel agrees to 2-Month Ceasefire in Gaza

The fence around Sinjil stands out as a particularly stark example of these new obstacles spreading across the territory, profoundly impacting everyday life. Israeli military officials state that the fence was erected to protect the nearby Ramallah-Nablus highway.

Earlier,

Hamas is seeking guarantees that a new US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza would lead to the war’s end, a source close to the group said as medics said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed dozens more people, Al Jazeera reported.

Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire and captive deal appeared high, nearly 21 months since the war between Israel and Hamas began.

US President Donald Trump said that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war.

Hamas is seeking clear guarantees that the ceasefire will eventually lead to the war’s end, the source close to the group said. Two Israeli officials said those details were still being worked out.

In a statement early on Friday, Hamas said it was discussing the ceasefire proposal with other Palestinian factions and would submit its response to mediators once those talks conclude.