Tel Aviv — After five days of negotiations in Qatar and two meetings in Washington between Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump, there was still no ceasefire agreement for Gaza on Thursday, as Netanyahu prepared to leave Washington to fly back home.
At the start of the week, the Trump administration sounded optimistic that a deal could be done as soon as the weekend. On Wednesday evening, however, a senior Israeli official said it could still take 20 more days to reach an agreement.
Gaza, meanwhile, remains a warzone, as the Israeli military continues to pursue its offensive against the U.S.- and Israeli-designated terrorist group Hamas.
Israel has not allowed international journalists into Gaza since the war started, but over the past 24 hours, huge plumes of smoke from explosions have been visible from the Israel-Gaza border.
Strikes pounded targets across the Palestinian territory on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Hospital workers said at least 55 Palestinians were killed.